Revanth Reddy, KTR spar over 10 years of destruction observation in Governor's address

HYDERABAD: The Telangana Legislative Assembly witnessed heated arguments between the treasury benches and the members of the main opposition BRS, over the mention of ‘10 years of destruction’, in the Governor’s address to the joint session of the Assembly and the Council.

Speaking on the thanksgiving motion to Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan's address Sircilla MLA KT Rama Rao compared the Governor’s address to a bag full of lies. “I am ashamed to hear such retrograde speech blaming a Government that ruled for ten years. I can imagine the future of the State in the coming five years just by hearing the speech,” KTR said.

He pointed out that the BRS would always be on the side of the people and hence he must be allowed to depict how Telangana was during the rule of undivided Andhra Pradesh before 2014,

BC welfare Minister Ponnala Prabhakar intervened and said that Telangana was neglected during the rule of combined AP and that was the reason the members must limit their debate about the rule of the Government starting from 2014.

KTR replied saying that the Congress members who mentioned the names of YS Rajasekhara Reddy and Kiran Kumar Reddy must be able to listen to the destruction caused by the 50 years of Congress rule in the Telangana region.

“We will say what the truth is, power cuts, unemployment, exodus, and agrarian crisis were all the result of the Congress rule. Nalgonda fluorosis, Devarakonda girl child sales, trafficking of Old city Muslim girls, exodus from Kodangal and Maktal, I can go on like this,” a furious KTR said.

Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka tried to pacify KTR and said that the people gave a verdict and urged him to help democratically run the Assembly.

“If you attack us we might have to react and reply. You talk as if there was no power and drinking water during Congress's rule. You ruined the RWS that we implemented . We ensured drinking water  and gave 70 percent drinking water. We eradicated fluorosis,” the Deputy CM said.

However, KTR continued his tirade and said that he was only replying to mention of the 10 years of destruction in the Governor’s speech “ Now I am forced to talk about 50 years of destruction. BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao asked us that we must give three months to Congress before attacking its policies, by that time you will fall due to your internal fallacies,” KTR observed.

Recalling the days when the Telangana region suffered due to unemployment and the failure of crops asked the Congress leaders how Kiran Kumar Reddy who was Chief Minister at that time admonished Harish Rao in the Assembly when he sought funds for Siddipet.

Intervening again, Bhatti Vikramarka said that KTR must limit his discussion to governance starting from June 2, 2014. He said that KTR must realise that several Congress leaders also played a crucial role in the formation of the state. “We handed over a rich, surplus budget State to you and you returned a debt-ridden, State to us,” Bhatti Vikramarka pointed out.

He wanted to know whether the BRS Government provided irrigation to an extra acre or given a single extra job during the past decade.

Asking the Deputy CM to cool down, KTR said that he was only mentioning the destruction because Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy talked about Indiramma Rajyam. Despite the objections raised by KTR Bhatti intervened again and asked KTR to go to Andhra Pradesh if he was so obsessed with the rule during erstwhile AP. “This is not AP Assembly. You can go there if you want,” he said.

“When you talk about Indiramma governance then all that is bad has to be recalled. Mulki, Emergency, YSR, and Kiran Kumar Reddy. You can't selectively blame us. KCR liberated us on June 2, 2014, liberated. Don’t get overexcited Congress stood on a thin majority. The difference is 1.85 percent of the vote,” KTR said.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said that the NRI like KTR would understand the spirit of democracy. “You have to understand the value of numbers. 49 has no value but the 51 rule the State. Those sitting in opposition have to be constructive and advise us. If we don’t listen you can protest,” Revanth Reddy said.

He pointed out that the BRS chief had started his political career as a Youth Congress leader and worked as a Union Minister in the UPA Government led by Sonia Gandhi. “Harish Rao was a minister too. You talked about Pothyreddy Padu, at that time Congress leaders P Janardhana Reddy protested, not the then TRS,” Revanth Reddy recalled.

The Chief Minister further said that several of the present-day BRS leaders were a part of the earlier Governments that ruled the erstwhile State. “Harish, Gangula, Kadiam, Pocharam, and Talasani, were part of the earlier government. Senior leader Kadiam calls Govornor’s speech a manifesto, what else would be there in it?” he questioned.

The Chief Minister reiterated that the Congress Government would work like an X-ray, and the finance minister would explain the destruction meted out by the BRS Government in the past ten years. “We kept the vision document in the house, please cooperate,” the CM concluded.