Telangana governor acting on orders from above, alleges KTR
HYDERABAD: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Tuesday alleged that Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan rejected the Cabinet’s proposal to nominate Dasoju Sravan and Kurra Satyanarayana to the Legislative Council under the Governor’s quota, as she ‘received orders from above’.
Speaking to reporters at the Telangana Bhavan, Rama Rao said the government was exploring all possible options following the Governor’s decision. He added that the government would send the required documentary evidence on the service and social activities of Sravan and Satyanarayana to the Raj Bhavan.
‘Lokesh’s friends called me’
Asked to comment on the arrest of N Chandrababu Naidu and rallies in his support in Hyderabad, he said the Telangana government has to maintain law and order in the city and hence permission for rallies was being denied. He added that the TDP chief was fighting legally and the matter was sub-judice.
He termed the current situation in AP as a battle between two political parties and stated that Hyderabad should not become a platform for their fight. “Nara Lokesh’s friends called me and asked why the TS government was not giving permission to IT employees’ rallies in Hyderabad against the arrest of Naidu. The rallies should be held either in Vijayawada or Rajahmundry,” he said, adding that the IT sector was not involved during the Telangana agitation.
“Everyone from Andhra and Rayalaseema living in Hyderabad is united and they were happy here. Why instigate them with political motives, as the two AP parties have no presence in Telangana?” Rama Rao said. He, however, hastened to add that the leaders of all three parties — Naidu, Jagan Mohan Reddy and Pawan Kalyan — were his friends.
Elaborating on the recent rejection of MLC nominations by the Governor, Rama Rao said the State government had the right to nominate people of its choice for the Council and the Governor had to approve it. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is undemocratic and so are his agents,” he alleged, reminding that Tamilisai was Tamil Nadu BJP chief when she was appointed Telangana Governor.
Alleging that Tamilisai was behaving like a BJP leader, Rama Rao said the gubernatorial system was a residue of the colonial past. “The Centre should start calling the PM ‘Viceroy’,” he said sarcastically.
Stating that Sravan participated in various movements and is an intellectual while Satyanarayana was a trade union leader at the national level, Rama Rao said: “We did not expect the Governor to reject their nominations. She used the word unfit. But who is unfit? You or your Modi?”
He recalled that BJP and Congress leaders were nominated as MLCs under the Governor’s quota in various states and said that the two national parties work in coordination when it comes to nominating their leaders but have a problem with the nomination of leaders who fought for Telangana statehood.
“BJP and Congress are cooperating with each other in Karnataka for nominating their leaders to the Council under Governor’s quota,” Rama Rao alleged.
Targeting Modi
Ahead of the prime minister’s tour to the State, Rama Rao lashed out at Modi for his repeated statements on Telangana and its formation process. He said that this was not the first instance of the PM making disparaging remarks about Telangana formation, and it reflects his utter disregard for historical facts.
“Modi and BJP have only hatred towards Telangana. Modi should tender an apology to the people of Telangana for repeatedly hurting their sentiments,” Rama Rao said.
He recalled that the Centre did not fulfil the assurances given in the AP Reorganisation Act, of 2014. “Whenever they came to Telangana, they came with empty hands. They should be prepared to go back with empty votes,” the BRS working president said.
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He said that though the State government wanted a fresh allocation made to Telangana in Krishna River waters, the Centre did not act upon it. “Modi, who is visiting Mahbubnagar on October 1, should speak about the share of Telangana in Krishna waters. He should accord national project status to the Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme,” Rama Rao demanded.
When asked about BJP State President G Kishan Reddy’s statements on the same issue, Rama Rao said that the former was the most unfit Union minister who could not construct even a flyover in his constituency. He reiterated that “One Nation, One Election” was a poll gimmick to divert the attention of the people from core issues.
Delimitation dangers
Rama Rao said that the delimitation of Lok Sabha seats and the distribution of central funds to States based on population would be detrimental to southern States which rigorously implemented family planning. “If delimitation of Lok Sabha seats is based on population, then the number of LS seats in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar would be more than the seats of all southern states,” Rama Rao said and added th
