Telangana govt creating hype over IT investments: Congress

HYDERABAD: Alleging that the BRS government was fooling the citizens by claiming that Telangana state was getting huge investments in the information technology (IT) sector, Congress has demanded a white paper over the claims of investments and job creation.

Speaking to media persons, former PCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah held that the state government was creating unnecessary hype over the Hon Hai Foxconn Technology Group's investment proposal and had created more confusion than bringing in clarity. “There are different versions of the issue during the past four days. Why is there so much talk? What is the truth ? The BRS government is creating unnecessary hype for political reasons and is not serious about investment or job creation,” he felt.

Lakshmaiah, a  former minister, alleged that rather than getting investments Telangana was actually losing companies to other cities. “Close to 65 companies have left Hyderabad. No new companies have come in and most of the job creation is through expansion of existing ones,” he alleged.

Earlier, on Monday, former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir in an open letter to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao demanded that the state government clear confusion surrounding Hon Hai Foxconn Technology Group's proposed investment in the state.

The leader said that a day after the Chief Minister's Office announced a historic deal with the Foxconn group that had the potential to generate employment for over one lakh people in Telangana, the company issued a statement contradicting the details shared by the CMO.

Shabbir Ali also raised doubts about agreements signed with other companies over the last eight years. He said while some agreements appeared formal, there was a lack of clarity on their implementation and the extent to which they have led to investment and job creation in the state. He demanded that the state government release a White Paper containing details of agreements signed with different companies since 2014 as this would help clear all confusion and doubts.