HYDERABAD: The Congress has lodged a complaint with the state election commission (SEC) that TRS is using Hyderabad metro rail pillars, RTC buses, bus shelters, public toilets and footpaths to advertise government schemes as part of its poll campaign.
Telangana Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy-led delegation met state election commissioner, C Partha Sarathi on Saturday and urged him to issue orders for immediate removal of TRS advertisements. “The TRS has put up advertisements on pillars of L&T metro rail. There is a viability gap funding of over Rs.2,000 crore and costly land in the city has been given to L&T metro rail by central and state governments respectively,” he said.
“No advertisements of political parties should be displayed on government or semi-government properties during elections. The SEC should issue an order for removal of TRS party advertisements on L&T metro rail pillars, RTC bus shelters, public toilets and other government properties. It is a clear breach of election code of conduct by the ruling TRS,” Uttam said after coming out of his meeting with the SEC.
He charged BJP and MIM of having a tacit understanding to polarise the voters on religious lines in GHMC elections. “The BJP government has done nothing for Hyderabad. The Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR), which was sanctioned by the Congress-led UPA government was cancelled by the present BJP government. The ITIR project involved investment of Rs. 2.5 lakh crore and would have provided 50 lakh direct and indirect jobs. Let the BJP leaders, especially Union minister of state for home G Kishan Reddy, explain why ITIR did not take shape and why it got cancelled,” he asked.
“The previous Congress governments had spent over Rs 1 lakh crore during 2004-2014 for the development of Hyderabad. The international airport, outer ring road, PVNR Expressway, metro rail, drinking water from Krishna and Godavari rivers and several other projects were either started or completed during the previous Congress regimes. It was the Congress government which developed Hyderabad into an IT and pharma hub too. The TRS has only indulged in corruption with focus on projects getting them commissions,” he alleged.