It is absurd to criticise Centre on delimitation issue: Bandi

Hyderabad: Union Minister State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar said it is absurd to accuse the Centre of conspiring against the Southern States in the name of delimitation of Lok Sabha seats.

During his visit to his constituency in Karimnagar on Saturday, he noted that the Centre has not yet formulated guidelines on delimitation and has not made any decisions regarding it. Significantly, there are apprehensions that if the proposed delimitation exercise which is based on population comes into effect, it will be a great loss for the southern States. At the same it will be a gain for the populous States like Bihar and UP.

However, BJP dubs these fears as a diversion tactic. Bandi Sanjay Kumar said that there is strong opposition to Chief Minister Stalin’s government in Tamil Nadu, Congress governments in Karnataka and Telangana and also the Communist party government in Kerala. According to him, these parties are conspiring together to undermine the BJP. He asserted that they lack the courage to discuss public issues and the promises made during elections, opting instead to fabricate problems for political gain. “People will remember and reject this behavior,” he added.

Bandi dared the Congress to convene an all-party meeting to discuss these guarantees in the Assembly if they have the courage. He pointed out that if 10 lakh acres of crops are drying up due to water scarcity that should be a collective concern. “What is the government’s plan if there is water available but no proper strategy in place? Will they blame the Centre for that as well,” he asked.

He accused the Congress and BRS of staging a drama instead of addressing real issues, emphasizing that with the BJP’s success in the MLC elections, the two parties are making moves against them. He suggested that Congress is nurturing the BRS to undermine the BJP, which is why Jagadish Reddy was suspended from the Assembly. He reminded Congress that the public does not trust the BRS, even if they try to align with it.

Regarding the Centre’s funding for Telangana, he mentioned that while the Centre has approved Smart City funds, the State’s share is not being provided. The Centre’s schemes are not being matched by the state government for various initiatives. Bandi Sanjay Kumar questioned what the State government has actually provided to the people. He pointed out that the government is not offering the promised financial assistance to farmers, has not fully implemented the loan waiver, and is depriving employees of retirement benefits and medical reimbursements. Unemployed individuals are being cheated by not receiving the promised stipend, the elderly are missing out on their pension of Rs. 4,000, and women are not receiving gold and the monthly Rs. 2,500. Contractors have not been paid for completed work, former sarpanches are waiting for pending bills, and colleges are not receiving fee reimbursements. “What is Congress actually doing for the people? What have they achieved other than criticizing the Centre?” he asked.

He recalled that in the past, KCR attempted something similar—what was the outcome? “People are watching everything. They brought down KCR’s government, and now Congress is singing the same old tune.” The Union Minister criticised the State’s proposal to host Miss World and other global events in Hyderabad, saying, “Telangana, including Hyderabad, has become a hub for drug-related issues, yet no actions are taken to combat this. Nevertheless, the state wants to spend hundreds of crores in the name of Miss World and Tablighi events.”