BJP dismisses TRS claims on fluoride in drinking water in Munugode

HYDERABAD: The BJP on Tuesday dismissed the TRS’ claims that it had solved the fluoride in drinking water problem in Munugode constituency, declaring that protected drinking water was supplied to the constituency way back in 2003-04 by the then NDA government of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Telangana BJP general secretary Dr S Prakash Reddy said, “TRS is doing what it does best, spread lies about the BJP, and take credit for something it did not do.”

He said fluoride-laced water has now become a hot topic in the constituency, particularly in Marriguda, Nampalli, and Chandur mandals of the constituency. BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar had made it clear on Monday at a public meeting in Marriguda that Vajpayee government addressed the problem 18 years ago.

“The TRS claims are lies,” Prakash Reddy said, adding: “When safe drinking water supply began in 2004, the villages got water every day.” He said while water was then not piped to every home and a central tank in a village received water every day, from where people would carry the water home.

“Now, the TRS claims that it solved the fluoride problem through Mission Bhagiratha. The fact is that Mission Bhagiratha water does not come every day, not every home gets the water even on alternate days, and when they do, it is not the promised 100 litres per person per day,” he said.

He also claimed that since the Bhagiratha water being supplied was not enough, officials were adding water from borewells to augment supplies and the TRS government was actually adding fluoride water to the supplies. “Many villages have private RO water plants because Bhagiratha water is not clea. We will prove this,” Prakash Reddy said.

Party spokesperson J Sangappa said the TRS rushing to the Election Commission of India complaining over Sanjay’s speech at Marriguda on Monday was of no consequence as he had not not violated any ECI guideline. “The game has just started. This is how TRS reacts after just one day of Sanjay’s campaign in Munugode. He is going to campaign more.”

He also said that the TRS complaint about poll symbols that it claims are similar to its own is an admission that the ruling party was all set to lose in Munugode. These symbols have been there much before TRS was even born, he added.