KTR Slams Revanth for Belittling Telangana, Says Ready for Debate With CM on Any Issue

Hyderabad: BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao on Wednesday slammed Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for his repeated statements on how bankrupt Telangana is, adding that if the state is facing any financial distress, it is solely because of the corruption and loot by the Chief Minister, his family members, ministers, and Congress leaders.

Addressing a press conference, Rama Rao, challenged Revanth Reddy for a public debate on the Congress government's administrative failures, farmers’ plight, and the crisis of governance in the state. “If Revanth Reddy has the courage, let him decide the venue, time, and subject of the debate. I will be there,” he said, adding that if he fails to expose the Congress government’s failures with facts, evidence and data, he will permanently retire from politics.

Referring to Revanth Reddy's frequent visits to New Delhi, KTR questioned why the Chief Minister had travelled to Delhi 72 times in just 30 months despite repeatedly claiming that Telangana receives no respect there. He demanded that Revanth explain whom he was pleading with during those visits and asserted that if the Chief Minister was genuinely committed to Telangana, he should remain in the state for the next two-and-a-half years and focus entirely on governance.

“The fact is that Telangana, far from being bankrupt, emerged as one of India's most prosperous under K. Chandrashekar Rao’s leadership. If people are now looking down upon Telangana, it is because of Revanth Reddy’s own reputation,” Rama Rao said.

Congress govt failed to protect interests of SCCL, made it hub of scams: Harish Rao

BRS deputy floor leader T. Harish Rao on Wednesday alleged that the state government failed to protect the interests of the Singareni Collieries Company and turned it into a hub of scams.

In this connection, he made a special reference to SCCL’s Jaipur power plant. He said the former BRS government took various initiatives like setting up of the Singareni Medical College and job recruitments on compassionate grounds.

For the first time in the history of Singareni, the coal mines officials went on a strike for implementation of (Performance Related Pay (PRP) and PRC, he noted, and said this was due to a failure of the state government.

Harish Rao criticised deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka for his “indifferent attitude” to the officials’ strike.

The BRS leader visited the protest camp in front of the Srirampur GM office where officials have been on a relay hunger strike and extended his party’s support to them. He said the Congress government failed to pay PRP for the last two years, and this caused a fall in coal production.

Harish Rao gave a powerpoint presentation on ‘Irregularities in SCCL during the Congress rule, at a Singareni Parirakshana Sadassu organised in Mancherial.

The BRS leader alleged that a few units were shut down in the KTPC, Yadadr, Bhadradri Thermal powers, with fall in the coal reserves and production in the Singareni. This, he said, created a situation where Telangana DISCOMS were purchasing power from outside of the power exchanges.

Harish Rao pressed the state government to implement the Pay Up-gradation system in SCCL on the lines of Coal India. He promised that the demands of the Singareni workers and officials would be taken up in the next assembly session.

Former minister and Telangana Boggugani Karmika Sangam honorary president Koppula Eshwar and former BRS MLAs Balka Suman, Durgan Chinnaiah, Diwakar Rao,Putta Madhu, and TBGKS president Miryala Rajireddy were present.

Harish Rao criticises CM over remarks on KCR

BRS leader and Siddipet MLA T. Harish Rao on Wednesday criticised Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for comparing BRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao with the character Pashupathi from the Telugu film Arundhati.

Addressing a BRS workers’ meeting in Karimnagar Assembly constituency, Harish Rao questioned the Chief Minister over the comparison and said: “Are you buthupathi (a person who uses abusive language), if KCR is Pashupathi?”

Harish Rao also referred to the Pashupatinath temple in Nepal, saying the deity is regarded as a form of Lord Shiva and is associated with the protection of cattle and all living beings.

He claimed that K. Chandrashekar Rao had developed Telangana across sectors and protected the interests of farmers and their livestock. He also alleged that despite the Chief Minister’s remarks, people were not convinced by his criticism of the former chief minister.