State BJP president and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy termed the comments levelled by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy against him as below par and advised him to understand that his high-pitched criticism against the Centre will not help him in improving the situation.
Hyderabad:State BJP president and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy termed the comments levelled by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy against him as below par and advised him to understand that his high-pitched criticism against the Centre will not help him in improving the situation.
“I have been pursuing pending projects with Central ministries. Revanth Reddy’s cheap accusations that I am trying to stall projects are unbecoming of him,” he told media persons at the state BJP office.
Kishan Reddy asserted that the Centre had already approved the first phase of the RRR project and that the Union Cabinet would soon decide on launching the works. He said that the Centre was not seeking validation from Revanth Reddy, but the blessings of the people for its work in the state.
He said the state government had altered plans for key projects. He noted that the government had issued advertisements claiming it was funding the second phase of the Metro Rail on its own. “The Centre had already approved Metro Phase II during the BRS rule. However, after coming to power, the Revanth Reddy government wrote to Union urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri about realigning the project. The Centre is yet to receive the revised plan,” he said.
Kishan Reddy said that the Centre had released `1,200 crore for the first phase of the Metro Rail project to extend it to Falaknuma, but the work was halted at Darul Shifa.
He revealed that the Chief Minister had written to him seeking `1,66,569.31 crore from the Centre for various projects, yet the state government had not clarified its own contribution towards these works.
“Revanth Reddy must answer whether the Centre has approved his grand promises. His illogical demands for funds for pet projects have even drawn ridicule from state officials,” Kishan Reddy said. He also questioned why the state government was refusing to bear 50 per cent of the land acquisition costs for the RRR when the Centre was ready to fund the rest of the project.
Reaffirming the BJP’s commitment to removing religion-based reservations, Kishan Reddy said the party would implement this policy if it came to power on its own in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. “The Centre provides economically backward class (EBC) reservations to Muslims and other minorities. Revanth Reddy must explain how honouring the High Court’s verdict against religion-based reservations is wrong,” he said.
Kishan Reddy said he had made several presentations regarding the Centre’s `10 lakh crore contributions for rail, road, infrastructure and developmental projects in Telangana. The state had secured one of the seven textile parks, a smart industrial city at Zaheerabad, a coach factory, a tribal university and the Regional Ring Road (RRR).
He urged Revanth Reddy to fulfil the promises he made before the Assembly elections. “The people of Telangana are mature enough to see through diversionary politics. They are demanding answers on the government’s failed poll promises,” he said.
