Congress accuses BRS, BJP of ‘shadow boxing’

Warangal: With elections around the corner, the ruling BRS and the BJP opened up a new political drama surrounding the railway coach/wagon project assured to Telangana under the AP Reorganisation Act-2014, Hanumakonda DCC president Naini Rajender Reddy said.

Addressing a press conference along with his Warangal counterpart Errabelli Swarna in Hanumakonda on Tuesday, he held both the BRS and the BJP equally responsible for backtracking on establishing a rail coach factory in Kazipet.

“Hand in glove with each other, the ruling BRS and the BJP were enacting a political shadow-boxing to hoodwink the people in the region. The demand for establishing a rail coach factory in Kazipet dates back to the early 1980s. Even though the then Congress had proposed to set up a coach factory in Kazipet, the unit was given to Punjab at the larger interest of the nation. After the Manmohan Singh government gave green signal in 2009, the State had acquired 54 acres belonging to the endowments department for the coach factory,” Naini said.

The BRS and the BJP which came to power in the State and at the Centre respectively in 2014 never showed interest in commissioning the rail project, he said.

Now, the BJP is trying to catch the attention of the people by stating that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was going to lay the foundation stone for the periodical overhauling (POH) and as well as the wagon manufacturing unit on July 8.

On the other hand, the BRS leaders were threatening to launch an agitation, demanding a rail coach factory instead of a wagon manufacturing unit. It’s nothing but a stage-managed drama, Naini alleged.

Errabelli Swarna said that the BRS had never exerted pressure on the Centre, demanding the implementation of bifurcation promises – coach factory, steel plant and tribal university. Former MP Sircilla Rajaiah said thatModi has no moral right to visit Warangal as he had done nothing to the region.

Parkal constituency in-charge Engala Venkatram Reddy alleged irregularities in the allotment of land in the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park. He held Parkal MLA Challa Dharma Reddy responsible for the land scam. Wardhannapet constituency in-charge Namindla Srinivas said that

Referring to the remarks of Modi, who said Congress gave birth to a child but killed mother on Telangana formation, Namindla said that it’s difficult to trust the BJP that it could do something for the State.

Senior leaders Bathini Srinivas Rao, Banka Sarala, P Ramakrishna, Mirza Azizulla Beig, K Venkat, B Vikram and G Swapna were among others present.