Hyderabad: Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan’s address to the house faced severe condemnation from former minister and BRS working president K T Rama Rao (KTR) who termed it as a “politically, intellectually bankrupt address.”
Comparing the development and progress in the state to the Congress dispensation’s rule in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, KTR on Saturday, December 16, said that the state made great progress in all sectors under the BRS rule between 2014-23.
He said that while the Governor cited debts accumulated under the BRS dispensation, the matter of assets was ‘conveniently’ not mentioned in her address.
He questioned the Congress’ legacy when it was in power before 2014 (erstwhile Andhra Pradesh) and remarked that the region was under severe conditions of “drought and despair.”
“Under the 50-year rule of the Congress, there was no drinking water, water for irrigation, and no power,” he said.
He also alleged that Telangana Congress leaders, in an undivided AP, kept quiet for the sake of posts and also when the then CM Kiran Kumar Reddy “refused” to give any funds to Telangana.
Counter from Congress
KTR’s long address was countered intensely by ministers of the Congress government including chief minister A Revanth Reddy.
The chief minister cited alleged family rule, non-completion of irrigation projects, ignoring the families of those who sacrificed their lives for the cause of Telangana statehood, leak of question papers and other failures during the 10 years of BRS rule.
“… our government broke the iron gates of Pragati Bhavan (former CM KCR’s camp office-cum-official residence). It is a government elected by the people. It is the people’s government. Ministers did not have an entry to meet the Chief Minister then. Gaddar (folk singer), who gave a push to the Telangana agitation, did not have an entry. But, today, the government is ready to listen if minorities, Dalits, tribals, women, weaker sections say we have a problem,” the CM said.
Interrupting KTR’s ‘pre-2014 situation’ statement, minister Ponnam Prabhakar said that all of them fought for Telangana statehood because of the injustices done to the region. “It’s important to speak on what happened after the state’s formation,” Prabhakar said.
Deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikrakamarka Mallu (who also holds the finance portfolio) said that KTR began a heated speech as if “he is already in attack mode and it is not necessary.”
“We are ready to take constructive criticism from the opposition. The credit of drowning Telangana in debt goes to the BRS,” he added.
“It was Congress which fulfilled the demand of separate. However, Telangana which was a surplus state is burdened with Rs five lakh crore debt during the BRS regime since 2014, he said
He also remarked that it is not correct of the BRS leader to allege that no development happened under the past Congress dispensation.
Revanth’s ‘NRI’ jibe
Taking the mic in between, chief minister A Revanth Reddy took a jibe at KTR calling him a ‘Non Reliable Indian’ and said that some NRIs “do not understand the meaning of democratic spirit.”
“The number of legislators is not important. One should hold a democratic spirit. Congress leaders had fought for the state’s share in Krishna waters. The Congress has even given positions to BRS leaders including K Chandrashekhar Rao,” he said.
Revanth Reddy stressed the difference between winning 49 percent and 51 percent vote in a democracy and said that “those with 51 percent form the government, while 49 percent don’t hold the same.”
People’s government
CM Revanth Reddy hit out at the BRS, saying people of the state gave a verdict against family rule in the recent elections.
In a veiled reference to Rama Rao speaking for the BRS, he said he and people had expected that any experienced members of BRS would get the opportunity to speak but the people were left disappointed as only the “family” got the opportunity.
Referring to the BRS claiming to be a party that ran the Telangana agitation, he asked whether the then chief minister (KCR) ever invited any family members of those who sacrificed their lives for the cause of Telangana to his camp office-cum-official residence and extended help.
Without mentioning KCR’s name, he said the former CM, however, gave posts to his son, nephew and daughter.
Did the former CM ever review the police cases against the students and others who supported the Telangana cause and tried to remove such cases, he asked.
The BRS claims to have grown on the back of the Telangana agitation but the BRS government disbanded the ‘Dharna Chowk’ in Hyderabad, a venue for democratic protests, he said.
Governor’s address
Observing that the people in Telangana gave a clear verdict to liberate themselves from 10 years of repression in the recent assembly polls, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Friday said the government will stand by every promise it has made to the people.
In her address to the joint session of the legislature, the first assembly session after the Congress government took over, she said 2023 will remain in history as the year that has brought a new beginning to Telangana’s journey. People are experiencing the change already, she said.
“Telangana is breathing fresh air of freedom and liberty now. Telangana is liberated from autocratic rule and dictatorial tendencies,” she said.
The present elected government thanks all people, parties, leaders, and the then UPA Government and the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for creating a separate Telangana State in 2014, respecting the decades-old aspirations of the people, she said.
“On behalf of four crore Telangana people, the present government thanks Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, the then chairperson of UPA, for the key role she played in the process of creating Telangana into a separate state,” she said.
The Governor paid tribute to the martyrs who laid down their precious lives for the cause of Telangana statehood.
Alleging that the entire financial discipline in the state is destroyed owing to the bad governance of the previous regime, she said the government is focused on strengthening the derailed financial situation.
“We will place before the people the financial condition of each and every department by releasing white papers and show them the real facts. We will be releasing the whitepapers as part of the transparent government that we promised to the people,” she said.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, at the time of swearing in, made it clear that in a democracy, the rulers are the people’s servants, and they are not feudal lords, she said.
The governance is moving forward and taking steps in this direction and the ‘Praja Vaani’ programme of taking grievances from people at the CM’s camp office is the first step in this direction, she said.
“At the time of the elections, we gave word to the people that we would get Indiramma Rajyam (welfare rule of former PM Indira Gandhi) in Telangana,” she said.
Referring to the six poll ‘guarantees’ of the ruling Congress, she said, in tune with the promises made, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy signed the file giving legal sanctity to the six guarantees soon after his swearing in.
“This proved the commitment and dedication of our government. My government has taken the first step along the path of welfare for the people of the state. My government will stand by each and every promise it has made,” she said.
Within 48 hours of entering into governance, the government has implemented two out of six guarantees – the free bus travel for women in state-run RTC buses and provision of medical facilities to poor up to Rs 10 lakh under the new Rajiv Arogya Sree scheme, she said.
The government will lay out a definite and time-bound action plan to implement other guarantees promised in the poll manifesto such as the ‘Mahalakshmi’ Scheme (free bus travel, LGP cyclinder at Rs 500), ‘Rythu Bharosa’ (Rs 15,000 per acre to farmers and tenant farmers annually), ‘Gruha Jyothi’ (200 units of free electricity), ‘Indiramma’ Houses (free house site and Rs 5 lakh to those who don’t own a house), ‘Yuva Vikasam’ (Vidya Bharosa card of Rs 5 lakh to students), and ‘Cheyutha’ (social security pension of Rs 4,000 per month), within 100 days of its governance.
“This government is dedicated to implementing each and every promise it made in the party manifesto, and the government will stand by it,” she said.
The government is making this promise through the House as a witness and it is actively preparing an action plan based on the promises made in the poll manifesto, she said.
The Congress government will identify the families of ‘martyrs’ (those who sacrificed their life for the cause of Telangana statehood) and would allot them 250 sq yards of the house sites and also pay them an honorarium, she said.
On Kaleshwaram Project, the Governor said, “We have promised people that we will order an inquiry into the irregularities committed and lack of quality and corruption in the construction of the Medigadda and Annaram Barrages of Kaleshwaram Project. Our action plan will be in this direction.”
The government is committed to protecting Telangana State’s rightful share of Krishna River Water and its aim is to get national status for the Palamuru Rangareddy irrigation project, which is a boon to South Telangana, she said.
The Congress regime will fill up the teachers’ posts by conducting a mega DSC (District Selection Committee) within six months. The government has already begun the exercise to clean up the Telangana State Public Service Commission (in view of the leak of question papers of recruitment tests conducted by the previous government), she said.
The state government will also take steps to fill up two lakh vacancies within one year.
Soundararajan said an action plan will be put in place to replace the ‘Dharani’ integrated land records management system brought in by the previous government with a portal named ‘Bhumata’ which would be transparent and solve all land-related issues.
‘Bhumata’ was an election promise of Congress.
The government will constitute a Land Commission to protect government lands, she said.
Asserting that the government is very keen to totally eradicate the narcotic drug menace, she said, like the Greyhounds and Octopus (the state’s elite anti-Naxal and anti-terror forces), a fulltime Director is appointed to the Telangana State Anti-Narcotic Bureau.
Noting that the state is committed to decentralising of development in Telangana, the Governor said the government is planning to divide the state into three zones with Hyderabad as the centre.
“One Zone is Hyderabad City, which is inside the Outer Ring Road, the second zone is the area between the ORR and the proposed regional ring road, and the third Zone is outside the regional ring road. Our government will prepare plans accordingly,” she said.
Loans raised indiscriminately from every corporation during the previous regime have pushed the state into a financial mess and crisis, she said.
The greatest challenge before the government as on date is to improve financial situation in the state on a war footing, she added.
Alleging that in the last nine and a half years, all the institutions have been destroyed, she said the government will restore the core values of the legislature and executive.
The government will render justice to all those sections, that were subjected to discrimination and oppression, Soundararajan added.
(With excerpts from PTI)
