Telangana ministers criticise Modi’s comments on BRS rule

Telangana: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Hyderabad has sparked controversy in the state. During a public meeting at Parade Ground, Modi criticised the ruling government’s alleged non-cooperation with Central initiatives and accused them of promoting parivarvaad or family rule. The comments have elicited strong reactions from party leaders, accusing the Centre of planning to privatise Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) mines.

In response to the Centre’s accusations, the Singareni Maha Dharna was organised to protest the alleged attempts to privatise SCCL mines. BRS led the protests in various districts of Telangana, which witnessed a significant turnout of BRS party members, SCCL workers, and the public. The leaders expressed strong opposition to the BJP government’s plans to auction SCCL mines, which they claim could hinder the state’s development and adversely affect employment opportunities for Telangana’s youth.

SCCL privatisation would create unrest: BRS

Allola Indrakaran Reddy, the Minister for Endowment, Law, and Forests, criticised the Centre’s alleged plans to privatise Singareni, during the protest in Manchiryala. Reddy claimed that the Centre is looking to privatise Singareni for Adani and warned that if this were to happen, it would lead to unrest among the people of Telangana. He also accused the BJP of not tolerating the development of Telangana and said that the Prime Minister and Union Minister’s visits to the state were merely for show.

Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Minister for Panchayat Raj & RD Government of Telangana criticised the Centre’s alleged plan to indirectly privatise Singareni in Jayashankar Bhupalapalli. He accused the Centre of auctioning coal blocks, which could lead to privatisation, despite the state holding a 51 per cent share. Dayakar also criticised the Centre for passing laws against farmers and alleged that BJP had attached current meters to farmers’ motors.

Koppula Eshwar, Minister for Scheduled Castes Development, Minority Welfare, Disable Welfare and Senior Citizen Welfare, said that Modi only criticised the Telangana government and ignored the state’s achievements. Eshwar also accused Modi of being hypocritical in his anti-corruption stance and claimed that he had no right to speak about the family rule. The minister also stated that Modi’s criticism would only increase people’s support for CM K Chandrashekar Rao and the BRS, and advised BJP State President Bandi Sanjay to be more restrained in his comments.

Finance Minister, Harish Rao accused PM Narendra Modi of spreading lies about the Central government’s projects in the state. Rao refuted Modi’s claims about the Direct Benefit Transfer and PM Kisan schemes and criticised the Centre’s lack of support for Telangana’s agriculture and industries. He also accused the government of failing to provide essential support for the state’s development.

Minister of BC Welfare, Food and Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs, Gangula Kamalakar accused Modi of lying. Kamalakar alleged that Modi lied about the state government’s failure to supply rice. He also criticised the Centre for not increasing ration cards in the last nine years.

Power Minister, Guntakandla Jagadish Reddy accused the Prime Minister of being unable to bear Telangana’s progress under KCR and giving a fraudulent speech. He also alleged that the Central government’s agencies like CBI, ED, and IT were being used against the opposition. Jagdish’s comments were criticised for their divisive nature, with some alleging that he was inciting hatred against the Prime Minister.

Minister for Excise & Prohibition, Sports & Youth Affairs, Tourism, Culture & Archeology, V Srinivas Goud accused Modi of making threats and claimed that Telangana was ranked number one in all the awards given by the Centre. He also stated that Telangana had no connection with BJP-ruled states and criticised the BJP for previously criticising the CBI. Goud further claimed that no project in Telangana had been given national status and that the Uppal flyover works were progressing slowly. He also mentioned that leaders and officials from BJP-ruled states were coming to Telangana for a study tour.

Minister for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Cinematography, Talasani Srinivas Yadav criticised the Prime Minister for bringing politics into an official event and accused him of lacking respect for Telangana. Yadav questioned Modi’s repeated inaugurations of Vande Bharat trains and invited him to discuss Telangana’s development. He also defended KCR’s government against Modi’s criticism and accused him of hypocrisy for criticising the opposition’s behaviour.

Jagan Patimeedi, Chairman of Telangana State Technology Services, posted a tweet featuring a caricature picture of BJP leaders and their successors. “Who said #BJP is against Family Politics??” his tweet read.