Hyderabad: Describing the BJP national president’s charges that Central funds were not reaching the people as “lies”, the TRS government on Saturday said that Amit Shah’s statement did not befit his political stature. Elsewhere, the Congress also flayed Amit Shah’s comments against the party and leadership including against AICC president Sonia Gandhi.
Finance minister Etela Rajender refuted Amit Shah's claim that the Centre provided Rs 90,000 crore to TS under various Centrally-sponsored schemes. “In all, the Centre gave us Rs 36,000 crore and not Rs 90,000 crore, in the past two years. People occupying such high posts shouldn’t tell blatant lies,” Mr Rajender said.
He also dismissed Amit Shah’s claim of a political vacuum in the state and the BJP attempt to establish itself. “It’s surprising that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers praised the TRS government’s initiatives under the leadership of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao but Amit Shah criticises us. This is nothing but double-standard and doubletalk. People rejected BJP and other parties in all elections since 2014 and voted for the TRS in the state,” he said.
“What did BJP do for the poor and the unemployed? It emerged as the single largest party in Parliament but did not introduce even one scheme that attracts the masses,” he alleged. Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao too fumed at Amit Shah while accusing the BJP of ignoring Telangana.
“What did BJP give to Telangana? Zilch! It did great injustice to Telangana people by merging six mandals and handing over Lower Sileru power project to AP which provided 300 day’s power to TS. The BJP gave national project status for Polavaram but denied the same status to Pranahita or Kaleswaram, did not bifurcate the High Court etc,” Mr Harish Rao said.
He took a dig at PM’s failure to visit TS even once since its formation, while regularly travelling abroad. “This shows the BJP’s love for Telangana,” Mr Harish Rao alleged. Elsewhere, TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Mohd. Ali Shabbir too described Amit Shah's speech at Suryapet as bundle of lies.
