Will have only constitutional ties with Centre, says Telangana CM KCR

HYDERABAD: In a clear indication of his ties with the Centre souring, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday said he would maintain only ‘constitutional relations’ with the Centre. He also reminded everyone that he had called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a ‘fascist’ in 2014.
The CM, who skipped the Niti Aayog meeting in Delhi headed by Modi three days ago, said the Aayog had recommended Rs 24,000 crore financial assistance to the state for two flagship water schemes – Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya. “But, the Centre did not give us even Rs 24,” KCR told reporters at his first cabinet meeting after the Lok Sabha elections. The meeting lasted a good six hours.
The CM said that as per the AP Reorganisation Act, Telangana should have received Rs 450 crore per year as assistance to develop backward districts. But, it got the grant for only four years and not five, he said.
“When BJP national president Amit Shah claimed that several lakhs in financial assistance was given to Telangana, I exposed it as a bundle of lies and demanded his apology for spreading lies,” he said.
“The TRS government had given issue-based support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-1 on demonetisation, election for the President and GST. But I recall, I had called Modi a ‘fascist prime minister’ after seven mandals from Telangana and Sileru project were transferred to Andhra Pradesh in 2014,” KCR said at a press conference after the cabinet meeting.
Both KCR and Modi had good relations till the assembly elections in Telangana in Dec 2018. The TRS chief took a more strident approach towards BJP and Modi during campaigning, even attacking the PM over Hindutva politics. During the Lok Sabha elections, a large number of turmeric farmers from Telangana had gone to Varanasi to file nomination papers and contest against Modi. Although their nominations were rejected, BJP leaders alleged that the farmers were sent by TRS.
Responding to a query whether he would invite the PM for the inauguration of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project on June 21, KCR said: “I invited him for inauguration of Mission Bhagiratha (a scheme aimed at supplying piped water to every household) four years ago. There is no need to invite him for every programme. I am the achiever of Kaleshwaram project,” the CM said.
He said he was also not attending the all-party meeting called by the Prime Minister in Delhi on June 19 as he was busy with the launch of Kaleshwaram project on June 21. TRS working president KT Rama Rao would take part in the meeting.
He criticised Union minister of state for home G Kishan Reddy for his remarks that Hyderabad has become a den for terrorists. “It is a joke. There were no communal riots or clashes in the last five years when compared to communal incidents in Hyderabad when it was part of united Andhra Pradesh. People in a responsible position should talk with some meaning,” he said.
The TRS chief attacked Congress legislature party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka without naming him for his letter to AP chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, urging him not to come for inauguration of Kaleshwaram project and also hit out at Congress for obstructing the project by filing cases.