Hyderabad: Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao on Monday accused both the Congress and the BJP of doing injustice to Telangana State by completely ignoring the needs of the region and the promises they have made.
Criticising both national parties at a media conference in his home town of Siddipet on Monday, Mr Harish Rao demanded an explanation from the Telangana Congress leaders before they embark on the Bus Yatra, on former Union minister Jairam Ramesh’s comment that after coming back to po-wer at the centre, the Con-gress government will grant Special Category St-atus to Andhra Pradesh.
Mr Harish Rao said that even while in the Opposi-tion, the Congress leaders have not learnt any lessons and still concentrate on the needs of the neighbouring state, completely ignoring the demands of the people of Telangana.
He demanded to know why there was no word about according national project status to the Kale-swaram project on the lines of the Polavaram project in Andhra Pra-desh at the time of bifurcation of the state.
Turning his guns on the BJP-led NDA government, he said it is equally responsible for the injustice done to Telangana, though it is the party that boasts that Telangana statehood was possible only because of its support. But it has done nothing for Telangana State during the last four years.
He also faulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent speech in the Lok Sabha in which he said that the AP bill was passed by shutting the doors of Parliament, which only means that the PM is not fully supportive of the BJP’s stand on Telangana.
He blamed the Central government for granting funds to the already developed states and ignoring backward states like Telangana.
Minister Indrakaran Reddy, MPs Gutta Sukhender Reddy and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy were also present at the media conference.
