HYDERABAD: TRS working president KT Rama Rao on Saturday alleged that the Bharaiya Janata Party government at the Centre was exhibiting a ‘step-motherly attitude towards Telangana in the way it releases funds for the implementation of important schemes and programmes. “If the BJP continues with this attitude, it’s candidates will not get even their deposits in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections,” he told reporters.

Rao said that Union Minister of State for Water Resources Arjun Ram Meghwal, replying to a question raised by Medak MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, said that the Central government was not giving any funds to Telangana’s schemes such as Mission Kakatiya and Mission Bhagiratha. However, NITI Ayog had recommended Rs 24,000 crore for these two schemes, Rama Rao recalled.

He said that when the Maharashtra government asked for Central assistance for irrigation projects, the Centre decided to bear 25 per cent of the cost. “The Centre has already sanctioned Rs 3,831 crore to Maharashtra. This is because Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari belongs to Maharashtra, which is incidentally ruled by BJP. The Centre not sanctioning funds to TS is politically motivated, as the BJP has no presence here,” he said. “Is PM Narendra Modi just the PM of BJP-ruled States,” he wondered. 

The Centre has even declared Polavaram in AP as a national project and is giving 90 per cent funds to it, Rao said. “We have asked the Centre to declare Kaleshwaram as a national project as well. We have received no reponse. This time, the BJP will not win even Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat too,” Rao said, referring to the seat which is currently represented by senior BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya. He alleged that because of this ‘step-motherly attitude’ towards Telangana, BJP candidates failed to get even their deposits in 103 seats in the recent Assembly elections. 

“But all this hasn’t stopped BJP governments from trying to copy our schemes such as Rythu Bandhu,” he said. 

The MLA from Sircilla added that if the Centre didn’t take a decision on setting up a steel plant at Bayyaram, the State government would built it on its own.