HYDERABAD: With the protocol war raging between the ruling Telangana government and the Centre, Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Thursday urged Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and the TRS leadership to rise above petty politics and work together to bring tangible development to the state and country, while advising the CM to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inauguration of the revamped Ramagundam Fertilizer Corporation Limited's (RFCL) urea manufacturing plant.
Kishan Reddy told reporters in New Delhi that it was unfortunate that the TRS was spreading lies about the PM’s programmes in Telangana, including dedicating RFCL to the nation, laying the foundation for various national highway projects, among others. “For the past three or four days, the Kalvakuntla family has been directing misleading publicity about the Prime Minister’s visit. TRS leaders are being asked to meet with various organizations to launch a protest against the PM’s visit. This is not a good practice,” Kishan Reddy said.
The CM is unlikely to meet the PM when he arrives on November 12 to dedicate the Ramagundam fertiliser plant to the nation, as the CM is planning a tour of the state on that day. The TRS accused the Centre of not following protocol and insulting Telangana people by sending a communication asking the Chief Minister to “participate” in the inaugural event rather than “inviting” him.
"KCR is free to go wherever he wants. We are saying that he has been invited to the RFCL programme by Union minister for fertilizers Mansukh Mandvya, and that KCR should attend because the programmes are for the development of Telangana and the country, and that the CM should put politics aside for a while," he said.
He claimed that the BJP "never brought politics into Telangana's development. When farmers were in distress over grain purchases, the Centre helped in any way it could, including making an exception for the state to buy boiled rice. However, the state has yet to meet its quota for supplying this rice to the Food Corporation of India." The TRS and the Kalvakuntla family's goal, he said, was to criticise the Centre and the Prime Minister by spreading false and misleading misinformation.
