Hyderabad: BRS working president and Telangana minister KT Rama Rao on Thursday slammed the four BJP MPs from Telangana for being ‘spineless’ as the state was denied a coach factory in Kazipet.
He further criticised the Narendra Modi-led centre for its ‘óutrageous flouting’ of the AP Reorganisation Act.
“4 Spineless BJP MPs from Telangana should be held accountable on Modi Govt’s outrageous flouting of AP Reorganisation Act promises While Telangana is denied Coach Factory, PM’s home state Gujarat gets a ₹20,000 Crore locomotive coach factory! గుజరాతీ బాసుల చెప్పులు మోసే దౌర్బాగ్యులను ఎన్నుకున్న ఫలితం,” he tweeted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for a coach factory in Dahod on 20th April 2022. The Dahod unit is Gujarat’s first and India’s fourth railway manufacturing unit.
The Central government in the Parliament on Wednesday said that Telangana will not be sanctioned a railway coach factory and Turmeric Board.
BRS MPs Venkatesh Netha Borlakunta, Kavitha Malothu, Dayakar Pasunoori and Gaddam Ranjith Reddy raised queries on the constraints that the Centre was facing to set up the Turmeric Board in Nizamabad to which the Union minister of state for commerce and industry Anupriya Patel said, “Spices Board, a statutory autonomous body, set up under the Spices Board Act, 1986 is entrusted with the responsibility of promoting 52 spices including turmeric, coriander and chillies.”
“There is, therefore, no proposal under consideration to establish a Turmeric Board or any other spice-specific Board in the country,” the union minister added.
On being questioned about the Railway Coach Factory (RCF) as assured by the Centre in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “There is no proposal as such under consideration for setting up a Rail Coach Factory at Telangana.”
“Factories already sanctioned are sufficient enough to meet Indian Railways’ requirement of rolling stocks in the near future,” held the union railway minister.
BJP MP Arvind had promised Turmeric Board for the state in 2019
The demand to have a separate board for turmeric farmers from the Nizamabad district has been simmering for years, which also resulted in BRS (then TRS) MLC and ex-MP from Nizamabad K Kavitha losing her seat during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Miffed over their demand not being met, about 180 farmers also contested the poll then, which led to incumbent BJP MP Dharmapuri Arvind winning.
BJP MP Arvind in fact won from the Nizamabad seat in 2019 on promises of getting a turmeric board for farmers in the Nizamabad district.
However, the promise remained unfulfilled with the Turmeric farmers dumping their produce in front of Arvind’s residence in May 2022 in Nizamabad as a mark of protest for failing to bring a turmeric board for the district.
