Hyderabad: On Sunday, ruling TRS working president and Minister KT Rama Rao retaliated against Union Home Minister and BJP veteran Amit Shah for attacking the TRS administration in Telangana, dubbing him the “Badshah of lies” for propagating lies against the TRS government.
Mr Rama Rao, son of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, alleged that the steering of the NDA government at the Centre had gone into the hands of corporates.
Amit Shah attacked the TRS government in Telangana for alleged corruption and accused it of failing to fulfill the major planks of the separate Telangana agitation of “water, funds, and jobs,” and said his party is ready to face the polls due in the State next year, speaking at a public meeting that marked the culmination of Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s second phase of ‘padayatra’ (foot march).
On Mr Shah’s charge against the Telangana government led by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao that he has not seen such a corrupt government in the country, Mr Rama Rao hit back at Mr Shah over instances of “rampant corruption” prevailing in BJP-ruled Karnataka and referred to the allegations of a Karnataka BJP MLA that he was approached by some people, offering the State chief minister’s position in exchange for ₹ 2,500 crore.
Similarly, the Telangana Minister alluded to claimed comments made by a Lingayat seer in Karnataka that mutts (monasteries) pay a 30% commission to get their sanctioned funding released. Mr Rama Rao also mentioned the alleged suicide of a contractor in Karnataka, who had made complaints against a then-BJP Minister over a demand for a 40% reduction in a public project that had been undertaken.
According to Mr. Rama Rao, Amit Shah should change his name to “Badshah of Lies” (emperor of lies).
Mr Shah claims ₹ 25,000 crore was given to ‘Mission Bhagiratha’ scheme. There is an urgent need to change his name. He is not Amit Shah but “Badshah of lies”, Mr Rama Rao said.
“Should we not call him “Badshah of lies”? NITI Aayog recommended ₹ 19,000 crore as grant for the project, saying that it is a good project. Has your government given 19 paise? Have any shame to speak blatant lies? People are not ready to believe your talk…Such “nonsensical” talk won’t be tolerated,” Mr Rama Rao said.
Saying that TRS has demanded Amit Shah to speak on contribution of the Centre to Telangana’s development, Rama Rao alleged that Shah spoke about Nizam and Razakars without saying anything useful for Telangana and again sought to know what the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre did to Telangana in the last eight years.
Telangana paid ₹ 3.65 lakh crore as taxes to the Centre but it got only ₹ 1.68 lakh crore in return, he said.
In response to Mr Shah’s remarks about loans taken by the Telangana government, Mr Rama Rao accused the BJP of leading India into a debt trap, claiming that the NDA government had borrowed 100 lakh crore in the last eight years.
Rama Rao responded to Mr Shah’s assertion that the BJP is prepared to hold elections if the TRS administration dissolves the Assembly by saying that the TRS is likewise prepared to hold elections if the BJP dissolves Parliament.
On Mr Shah talking about abolishing minority reservations in Telangana, Mr Rama Rao claimed that quota for Muslims already exists in Kerala and BJP-ruled Karnataka and Bihar. If it can be given in those states why not in Telangana, he asked.
On Mr Shah’s charge that the steering of TRS poll symbol of car is in the hands of AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, Mr Rama Rao said, “Our steering is in our hands but yours (NDA government) is in corporate hands. ‘Hum do, hamare do’…everybody knows who’s driving…two Gujaratis selling, two buying. Everybody knows why you impose condition on importing coal, why you sell airports”.
“But you are able to play games using Central agencies and hunting others. Targeting opponents through Central agencies. But that doesn’t run for long, remember Amit Shah ji, because this is democracy. You can’t survive on lies for long,” Mr Rama Rao said.
Similarly, several Telangana Ministers including Finance Minister T Harish Rao slammed Amit Shah for levelling “blatant lies” against the TRS government and described the Union Home Minister as “Shah of lies”.
They said that Mr Shah set a record for becoming the Home Minister who told the most lies.
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