Advancing polls in Telangana to cost exchequer more: Union minister

HYDERABAD: Flaying caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for advancing the Telangana assembly polls, Union minister DV Sadananda Gowda on Sunday said the exercise would cost the exchequer dear and hamper development works. Addressing a public meeting in Kalwakurthy Assembly constituency, the Union minister for statistics and programme Implementation questioned the rationale behind advancing the elections, originally scheduled to take place simultaneously with general elections in April-May next year.

The Telangana Assembly was dissolved on September six, more than eight months ahead of schedule, on the recommendation of the government, paving the way for early elections. "The intention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to reduce the election cost and ensure that development works are not affected due to the election code," Gowda said adding "the move will cost the state exchequer more.

He alleged that Rao was not going to the Secretariat or giving appointments to even his cabinet colleagues and party MLAs, but only meeting Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP) and MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi.

This is the administration of the caretaker Chief Minister of Telangana," he said.

Expressing hope that BJP would win the elections, Gowda said the party's intention was development of Telangana.

The BJP-led government at the Centre has planned to set up a National Investment Manufacturing Zone in Hyderabad at an outlay of Rs 17,300 crore and generate employment for nearly 2.6 lakh people.

The Prime Minister is very particular about development of newly formed states especially Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and had provided all support to ensure that these two states were developed on par with others, he said.