Amit Shah’s speech a bundle of lies, says KT Rama Rao

HYDERABAD: Describing Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s speech in Tukkuguda on Saturday as a bundle of lies, TRS working president called him an ‘Abaddhala  Badshah (king liar)’.Speaking to reporters here on Sunday, Rama Rao said that there was not a single truth in Amit Shah’s address, and called him a ‘political tourist’.

Objecting to Shah speaking on the corruption of TRS government, Rama Rao recalled that a Karnataka MLA said that he was offered CM post for Rs 2,500 crore. The Karnataka BJP’s corruption was highlighted by pontiffs, contractors and others, Rama Rao pointed out. “Shah did not reply to any of my 27 questions. When asked to spell out Nijam (truth), Shah talked about Nizam,” the TRS working president alleged. 

On the mounting debts of the State, Rama Rao said that the State’s debts were within the limits, but Modi government raised Rs 100 lakh crore debts in the last eight years. The debts raised by the State were utilised for capital expenditure, Rama Rao said. He objected to the BJP leaders for comparing Telangana with Sri Lanka. “You cannot compare a State with a country. In fact, under Modi’s rule, the country will face crisis like Sri Lanka,” Rama Rao said.

The taxes collected in the State were being used for the developmental works in the BJP-ruled states, Rama Rao said and wanted the Union Home Minister to salute Telangana for providing succour to backward States in the country. The taxes collected in the State were Rs 3.65 lakh crore and in return the Centre gave only Rs 1.68 lakh crore in the last eight years, Rao said. He also denied Shah’s claims of saying that the Centre provided funds to Mission Bhagiratha. 

There was a shortage of drinking water in many BJP-ruled states including Gujarat, where ‘double engine’ was in power. But, the ‘single engine’ State has no drinking water shortage and was the first to implement Mission Bhagiratha in the country, Rama Rao explained.  

Referring to Shah’s ‘Nidhulu, Neellu and Niayamakalu’ remark, Rama Rao asked why the Centre did not refer to the Krishna water issue to a Tribunal. He also said that there were around 16 lakh vacancies in Central government. “First fill up them,” he said, adding that the Centre did not give any extra funds to the State.