Central government in deep sleep: K Chandrasekhar Rao

HYDERABAD:  Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday launched a scathing attack against the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. “The Central government is in a deep sleep. The people of the country have revolted against the government, but there is no change in the way it functions,” Rao said in the Assembly.

Speaking during the debate on the vote-on-account Budget, Rao alleged the Centre was keeping most subjects to itself, without giving the States the freedom they need. “Concurrent list is like knife hanging over the States’ heads,” he said, adding that both NDA and UPA governments behaved the same way in this case. 

Rao said the RBI had with it `13 lakh crore worth reserves and Maharatna (PSU) companies had another `11 lakh crore. “This money is lying idle with the government. It is big crime,” he said.  Rao said he prays the government that comes to power at the Centre understands economics and how to leverage it. 
“If the next government is a friendly one, we can waive farm loans in a few installments,” Rao said. 

Refuting allegations made by Congress member D Sridhar Babu, that TRS had made a clandestine agreement with the Centre to go for early polls, Rao said, “There is no nexus. As per my plans, polls to the Assembly were to be held in June or July.

We have never depended on the Centre for elections. In fact, we planned in such a way, by dissolving the Assembly six months ahead of schedule, that ECI had no option by to conduct elections.”The Chief Minister also said that the government had submitted several memorandums to the Centre on river water disputes. “But even after five years, Centre has not taken any decision yet,” he said.