Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party president and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday demanded that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao apologise to people, especially the poor, for the delay in allowing Centre’s medical insurance scheme of ‘Ayushman Bharat’ to be made applicable here.
“Mr. Rao should explain why he sat on the proposal for the last two years when the scheme could have come to the rescue of scores of people suffering from COVID-19 last year. He should also clearly state why he is supporting the farm Acts now after bitterly opposing and even organising a bandh,” he said.
Talking to press persons outside the Raj Bhavan after he led a party delegation to the Governor Tamilisai Sounderarajan, Mr. Sanjay Kumar denied any kind of new understanding with the ruling TRS in view of the latter’s volte face with regard to the Farm Acts and the Ayushman Bharat.
“Our line is very clear. We will be striving to form the next Government in Telangana in 2023 as people are ready to teach a lesson to the current regime. There is no need for any confusion about this. It is Mr. Rao who has answer for his ‘U-turns’,” he maintained. The BJP president also claimed that at least 20-25 TRS and Congress MLAs as well as corporators are “in touch” with the party but because of the “respect for democratic principles”, it was not acting in haste.
‘SEC owes explanation’
The BJP chief also wanted the State Election Commission (SEC) and the Government to explain to people for the reasons for holding GHMC polls three months in advance and now dilly-dallying on issuing a gazette notification, swearing in of the newly elected corporators and holding elections to the Mayor post.
“We have said it before and are saying it again - the SEC is a puppet in government hands and this has once again been proved as he is only implementing the agenda decided by KCR-Owaisi combine. They are insulting the people’s verdict, murdering democracy and throwing constitutional norms to the winds even as people who elected the corporators feel cheated,” charged Mr. Sanjay Kumar.
He reminded that the party pleaded for postponing the polls but neither the SEC nor the Government paid heed. “They went ahead, completed the entire poll process in days and held the polls when half of the city was under water. What was their motive? Now, we have this unsavoury situation of defeated corporators attending official functions and underhand deals being stuck? Who are the real corporators - victorious ones or those defeated?,” he questioned and claimed that the daily efforts are being made to “entice our corporators offering crores of rupees.”
