Modi visit generates political heat in TS

Hyderabad: The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Telangana even before the announcement of election schedule and making several announcements has raised political heat on Sunday. Both BRS and BJP leaders were involved in a verbal dual.

While Modi took part in several development programmes, including announcement of Turmeric Board and Tribal university, the ministers who were campaigning in the district countered the BJP leaders.

The BRS leaders, including ministers, targeted the PM for his silence on the PalamuruRangareddy Lift Irrigation project.

Finance Minister T Harish Rao said the saffron party will not grow in Telangana even after Modi’s visit. He questioned what the BJP leaders have done till nine years to fulfil the promise of the Turmeric Board. He asked why the national project status was not given to Telangana projects. The PM’s announcements today were promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act and there was nothing new in them.

Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy questioned what had happened to the PM’s 2014 election promise. ‘Not declaring the Palamuru project was like deceiving people of Telangana’. He asked why the Krishna water share was not decided by the Centre. “For whose benefit roads worth Rs 13,500 crore were being implemented? The toll collection on roads has become a huge burden on common people. It is shocking to say that we have developed by building roads only to collect taxes. Now you have recollected the idea of Turmeric Board?” said Reddy. ‘Coming to Palamuru and announcing a Turmeric Board and a Tribal university was proof of BJP’s lack of awareness.

Panchayat Raj Minister ErrabelliDayakar Rao said Modi insults Telangana by sitting in Delhi stating, “‘saved the baby by killing the mother’, when we ask them to buy rice, he wants us to make people eat broken rice. Don’t you feel ashamed to give assurances by coming to streets of Telangana. What is the new promise you have made for people of Telangana.” He said people were not ready to believe gimmicks of BJP leaders.