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TRS will continue to fight against draconian laws: Telangana minister K T Rama Rao | Hyderabad News
TRS working president and minister K T Rama Rao charged the BJP government with turning fringe subjects like halal, hijab, loudspeaker into major issues and putting real problems affecting the aam aadmi such as inflation, unemployment, electricity and hike in fuel prices on the back burner. In an exclusive interview with Robin David and Koride Mahesh he said that the TRS will continue to highlight these issues and fight for the people and against draconian laws. Excerpts from the interview.
Until a couple of years ago TRS supported the BJP at the Centre on various issues and bills in the Parliament. But lately, have been aggressively going against the BJP and even attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What led to this change in your stand?
It’s true that the TRS supported the BJP in the presidential elections in 2015, on various issues like GST and other bills. When the TRS came to power first in 2014, after formation of the state, our policy was not to spar with the Centre, irrespective of the party and work together for the development of the state. There were doubts over the TRS party’s governance, regional discrimination etc as TRS was a movement party till then. People also wanted us to deliver. Now, even after seven years, the BJP government has failed on every front and discriminated against Telangana apart from ignoring the promises made in the AP Reorganization Act, 2014. We were left with no option but to question Modi’s government. When we started questioning in the GHMC elections, the BJP accused us (TRS) of being are hand in glove with MIM, which they say is a communal party.
Do you think the BJP will be a major threat to the TRS in the next elections?
BJP is no threat to us. In the 2018 assembly elections, BJP lost deposits in 108 assembly seats and have just three seats now. Later in urban and rural local body elections, right from gram panchayat to municipalities, 95% to 98% of the seats were secured by the pink party. There is no comparison.
The Centre wants to put restrictions on freebies being offered by state governments as are apprehensions about freebies leading lead to financial instability in states. Your opinion
Firstly, the Telangana government has been spending only 30% to 35% of its budget on welfare schemes and rest on non-welfare schemes and productive issues. Secondly, it is the fundamental responsibility of any democratically elected government to take care of below poverty line (BPL) families, which constitute 50% of our country’s population. Otherwise, it will lead to unrest in the society and lead to naxalism and extremism. The BJP, which has been talking against the freebies, promised free power to farmers in the UP elections. The BJP Telangana president Bandi Sanjay, who is on a walkathon, promised free education and healthcare to the people if BJP is voted to power. It looks like the party (BJP) is hypocritical.
Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has recently complained about violation of protocols by the TRS government including beginning the budget session without the Governor’s address. What do you have to say about that?
The governor is bound by the Constitution, but she behaved like a BJP leader or Tamil Nadu BJP president. How can a governor say the state government
would be dethroned had she sat on the finance bill for 15 more days? TRS is an elected government with 105 MLAs out of 119 MLAs. There were numerous instances where she behaved like a political leader and that led to the gap. During this Republic Day speech, the governor read out her own speech that the Modi government sanctioned medical colleges to the state. In fact, of the 157 medical colleges sanctioned by the Centre in the country, none have come to Telangana. Trust and respect should be reciprocal.
Opposition parties are alleging that GO 111 was scrapped by the government mainly to benefit some politicians belonging to the ruling party. What is your response?
When GO 111 was issued in 1996, the two reservoirs Himayatsagar and Osmansagar were the only two drinking water sources for the city. Now the entire city gets about 534 MGD of water which is being supplied through Krishna and Godavari rivers and the state government is supplying water — 50 tmcft from Mallanna Sagar and 15 tmcft from Konda Pochamma Sagar — which will take care of the city’s water requirements till 2041.
When the entire city is witnessing rapid growth especially up to Vattinagulapally, Gopanpally and Financial district, why should the 84 villages in the catchment areas of GO 111 be deprived of development, when they themselves wanted the GO to be scrapped. In fact, earlier other parties like Congress and TDP had also promised to revoke the GO. Now, the government will take care that the two reservoirs are not polluted and ensure 100% sewage treatment in the catchment areas.
Until a couple of years ago TRS supported the BJP at the Centre on various issues and bills in the Parliament. But lately, have been aggressively going against the BJP and even attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What led to this change in your stand?
It’s true that the TRS supported the BJP in the presidential elections in 2015, on various issues like GST and other bills. When the TRS came to power first in 2014, after formation of the state, our policy was not to spar with the Centre, irrespective of the party and work together for the development of the state. There were doubts over the TRS party’s governance, regional discrimination etc as TRS was a movement party till then. People also wanted us to deliver. Now, even after seven years, the BJP government has failed on every front and discriminated against Telangana apart from ignoring the promises made in the AP Reorganization Act, 2014. We were left with no option but to question Modi’s government. When we started questioning in the GHMC elections, the BJP accused us (TRS) of being are hand in glove with MIM, which they say is a communal party.
Do you think the BJP will be a major threat to the TRS in the next elections?
BJP is no threat to us. In the 2018 assembly elections, BJP lost deposits in 108 assembly seats and have just three seats now. Later in urban and rural local body elections, right from gram panchayat to municipalities, 95% to 98% of the seats were secured by the pink party. There is no comparison.
The Centre wants to put restrictions on freebies being offered by state governments as are apprehensions about freebies leading lead to financial instability in states. Your opinion
Firstly, the Telangana government has been spending only 30% to 35% of its budget on welfare schemes and rest on non-welfare schemes and productive issues. Secondly, it is the fundamental responsibility of any democratically elected government to take care of below poverty line (BPL) families, which constitute 50% of our country’s population. Otherwise, it will lead to unrest in the society and lead to naxalism and extremism. The BJP, which has been talking against the freebies, promised free power to farmers in the UP elections. The BJP Telangana president Bandi Sanjay, who is on a walkathon, promised free education and healthcare to the people if BJP is voted to power. It looks like the party (BJP) is hypocritical.
Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has recently complained about violation of protocols by the TRS government including beginning the budget session without the Governor’s address. What do you have to say about that?
The governor is bound by the Constitution, but she behaved like a BJP leader or Tamil Nadu BJP president. How can a governor say the state government
would be dethroned had she sat on the finance bill for 15 more days? TRS is an elected government with 105 MLAs out of 119 MLAs. There were numerous instances where she behaved like a political leader and that led to the gap. During this Republic Day speech, the governor read out her own speech that the Modi government sanctioned medical colleges to the state. In fact, of the 157 medical colleges sanctioned by the Centre in the country, none have come to Telangana. Trust and respect should be reciprocal.
Opposition parties are alleging that GO 111 was scrapped by the government mainly to benefit some politicians belonging to the ruling party. What is your response?
When GO 111 was issued in 1996, the two reservoirs Himayatsagar and Osmansagar were the only two drinking water sources for the city. Now the entire city gets about 534 MGD of water which is being supplied through Krishna and Godavari rivers and the state government is supplying water — 50 tmcft from Mallanna Sagar and 15 tmcft from Konda Pochamma Sagar — which will take care of the city’s water requirements till 2041.
When the entire city is witnessing rapid growth especially up to Vattinagulapally, Gopanpally and Financial district, why should the 84 villages in the catchment areas of GO 111 be deprived of development, when they themselves wanted the GO to be scrapped. In fact, earlier other parties like Congress and TDP had also promised to revoke the GO. Now, the government will take care that the two reservoirs are not polluted and ensure 100% sewage treatment in the catchment areas.
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