Prove your claims on free power, meters; Bandi Sanjay dares KCR

HYDERABAD: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana President Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Thursday strongly refuted the allegations being made by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was forcibly installing electricity meters to the agriculture pump sets.

Addressing the gathering at Mogilipet village of Mallapur mandal in Jagitial district as part of his Praja Sangrama Yatra, Sanjay said that the Centre would not be able to install electricity meters to the agriculture pump sets without the consent of the State government.

He asserted that the new Electricity Act enacted by the Centre had no mention of installation of electricity meters in the agriculture sector. "I challenge the KCR government to prove that the Centre was insisting on meters for agriculture pump sets. If it does, I will take complete responsibility for the same. If it doesn't, will KCR tender an unconditional apology to the people in public?," the BJP president asked.

The Centre has, however, fixed a meter to the family of KCR to measure its corruption and will not spare him, Sanjay said. "It has begun the exercise to expose the corrupt TRS leaders in public," he said.

The BJP leader challenged KCR to prove that his government was giving round-the-clock free power supply to the agriculture sector. "If he doesn't prove, is he ready to quit politics?" he asked. He alleged that the Chief Minister had pushed the power distribution companies into deep crisis by defaulting on clearing subsidy dues to the extent of Rs 60,000 crore. "On the other hand, KCR has imposed a heavy burden on the common man by increasing the power tariff," he said.

Reacting to KCR's criticism that the 'Make In India' slogan of the Modi government was a big farce and that it was allowing sale of Chinese goods in China Bazars, Sanjay said it was a big joke. "If only Chinese goods are sold in China Bazar, do Mysore Bajji and Mysore Pak come from Mysore and Irani Chai from Iran? KCR should know that whatever is sold in China Bazars are the locally-made products under Make In India," he said.

The BJP president charged the KCR government with failing to fulfill his pre-election promises like reopening of Muthyampet Sugar Factory, setting up of a separate board for Gulf migration victims, development of Vemulawada and Basar temples at a cost of Rs 100 crore each etc.