Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) has alleged that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government is suppressing the voice of the Opposition by not even allowing them to stage democratic protests.

Speaking to party leaders along with AICC in-charge of party affairs in Telangana R.C. Khuntia over video-conference on Tuesday, TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had stopped works on the irrigation projects started during the previous Congress regime. The pending projects were completely ignored and huge public money was wasted on new projects which did not irrigate even an acre of land so far.

He condemned the TRS government for denying permission to Congress leaders to inspect the pending irrigation projects in the Krishna and Godavari basins. Stating that Congress leaders were either arrested or placed under house arrest to foil their visits, Mr. Reddy alleged that the State government was not constructing irrigation projects to provide water for cultivation but it was doing so to get “huge kickbacks”.

He also criticised the State government for issuing inflated electricity bills to all categories of consumers burdening the poor and middle class. The bills were at least five to six times higher than the normal, he pointed out.

On handling the COVID-19 situation, the Nalgonda MP remarked that the TRS government had completely failed to trace, test or treat the patients and blamed the government “negligence” for increase in the COVID-19 cases by alarming proportions.

Meanwhile, the TPCC has decided to celebrate the birthday of the party leader Rahul Gandhi on June 19 by distributing food kits among the needy across the State. He asked the party cadres to restrain from any kind of extravaganza or cake cutting and instead suggested them to distribute food kits among those in distress. The party had decided to ensure supply of food kits to at least 50 lakh needy people across the country including Telangana on the occasion of Rahul Gandhi’s birthday.

Mr. Reddy asked the party leaders to honour the health and sanitation workers who are selflessly fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, on the occasion. AICC leaders Srinivasa Krishnan, Bose Raju, Ch. Vamshichand Reddy, S.A. Sampath Kumar, CLP leader M. Bhatti Vikramarka, TPCC working presidents A. Revanth Reddy and J. Kusum Kumar, former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir, V. Hanumantha Rao and others participated.