Congress, BRS trade barbs over SLBC tunnel collapse, with accusations of negligence and politicization amid ongoing rescue efforts.
Hyderabad: A political battle has erupted between the Congress and the BRS over the collapse in the SLBC tunnel with Opposition party slamming the government for ‘negligence’ and the government hitting back saying that the opposition party was ‘politicising a humanitarian crisis’.
Reacting to criticism over the past couple of days from BRS leaders targeting the government and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said: “Neither the Congress party, nor its leaders, ever criticized the BRS government or its leaders when seven people died in a Kaleshwaram project tunnel collapse in 2017. We never made that a political issue of it, and did not attack BRS politically when that happened.”
“What the BRS is doing now is reprehensible, especially when the government is trying its hardest and best during a humanitarian crisis. I appeal to all those who are launching political attacks using this tunnel collapse to stop doing so.”
He said BRS leaders were using a natural disaster for “cheap political gains.” “We got everyone with experience and expertise in finding solutions when such accidents occur. Some 10 agencies are working round the clock figuring out ways to get to the trapped workers,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
Earlier in the day, BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao questioned “the Chief Minister’s absence from relief operations while eight workers remain trapped.” BRS leader T Harish Rao said a party delegation will visit the SLBC site on Thursday.
Rama Rao asked if the “CM does not have time to ensure the rescue of these workers while he flies around in helicopters for campaigns?” He claimed there was a pattern of mishaps under Congress rule, and said “the Peddavagu project in Khammam was washed away, the Sunkishala project's retaining wall collapsed, and now the SLBC tunnel has collapsed.”
Harish Rao said “it is unfortunate that an incident like this is being politicised by Congress which is accusing the BRS government of neglecting SLBC works. During our regime, 11.48km of tunnelling was completed. Even Jupally (minister Jupally Krishna Rao), who was in the BRS then, had made this claim but now he is dancing to Congress’ tunes. It is because of such acts by Congress we are being forced to respond.”
He said the BRS government completed 230 km of tunnels for the Kaleshwaram project. “The Congress which made a hue and cry because one pillar in one barrage cracked and one block sank. Where is the NDSA in this case? Why is taking so long for the government to rescue the workers? If ministers begin lying, then people will lose faith in the government, and Uttam is dismissing SLBC collapse as caused by just a leakage,” he said.
