As Lok Sabha elections are nearing, Congress leaders in Telangana are focusing more on BJP’s regime of `repression’ and `betrayal’ towards Telangana, more than the main opposition party BRS. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy released the party’s Charge Sheet `Nayavanchana’ (Betrayal) and warned BJP has declared a war on the Constitution.
He accused that BJP is insisting for winning of 400 seats in Lok Sabha only to take away reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs. He said present elections are a referendum on reservations. It is time to declare whether we want reservations? Or not?, he added. He urged the SCs, STs and BCs to not fall prey to BJP and RSS machinations.
Lamenting over the implementation of GST and other economic policies that have impacted the common man, Revanth said that not even the ‘incense stick’ was spared from the GST cover.
“Even the products which are used for the puja are not spared, which means even the Gods are not spared. Even the basic stationery items like pencil and eraser used by children are also not spared from the GST cover. This is the type of loot the present BJP government at Centre is indulging in,” he added.
He listed out the betrayals (Nayavanchana) done by BJP to Telangana, which include – Rather than considering formation of Telangana along with Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand in 2000, Modi repeatedly mocked the formation of Telangana in the presence of Parliament; forcibly merged 211 villages from 7 mandals of Khammam district into Andhra Pradesh; BJP did not implement a single assurance from the bifurcation act like Bayyaram Steel Plant, Kazipet Railway Coach Factory, 2400 MW NTPC power plant, setting up of Tribal and Horticulture Universities.
Revanth Reddy further alleged that the BJP government at the Centre discriminated in funds allocation to the State. For every rupee of tax paid, he said that Telangana gets back only 43 paise. In contrast, Centre gives Rs 7.06 to Bihar, Rs 2.73 to UP, Rs 2.63 to Assam, and Rs 2.42 to Madhya Pradesh for every rupee, he added.
Further, he recalled that the Centre did not release Rs 4,000 crore GST compensation due to Telangana, Rs 24,205 crore recommended by NITI Aayog, and Rs 1,800 crore grant for development of backward districts.
Moreover, Revanth Reddy lamented that BJP betrayed farmers by preventing Telangana from getting its rightful share in Krishna River waters. Deception in project allocations including failure of granting national project status to any irrigation project in Telangana, including Palamuru-Rangareddy, he added. He deplored that Telangana lost 13.9 lakh jobs and Rs 2.19 lakh crore investments as a result of BJP canceling the ITIR project given by Congress.