Hyderabad, August 16: Congress senior leader and TPCC Political Affairs Committee (PAC) Convener Mohammed Ali Shabbir has strongly condemned Minister K. Tarakarama Rao for using derogatory language against him and other Congress leaders during his visit to Kamareddy and Yellareddy on August 14.
Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Wednesday, Shabbir Ali said that all shops and establishments in Kamareddy and Yellareddy were shut down in view of KTR’s visit. Security personnel were deployed even on rooftops in the entire area wherever KTR visited. People were not allowed to come out of their houses. The security was as if KTR was visiting some Naxalite area. Further, he said all Congress leaders were detained in the name of “preventive custody” and lodged in police stations. He said many leaders, with health problems, had to suffer due to a lack of basic amenities like toilets in the police stations. Many other leaders were placed under illegal house arrest, he said.
Shabbir Ali accused KTR of smothering democracy. “KTR is just one of the ministers. Why there was so much security for him and why people were subjected to harassment? Are you doing the same things when other ministers are visiting any area?” he asked.
He said it was the Congress party which gave political birth to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao. He reminded that KCR began his political career as a Youth Congress leader. He said Chandrababu Naidu was another leader who started his career as a Congress leader.
He said KTR was in the USA during the Telangana agitation. KCR had publicly announced that his son (KTR) is in the USA and his daughter (Kavitha) are well-settled in their lives and he would dedicatedly serve the people. But after the Congress party granted statehood to Telangana, both entered the scene and today the entire family has encroached upon the resources of Telangana.
“Before questioning my contribution to Kamareddy’s development, KTR should ask his father (CM KCR) what I did for Kamareddy,” he said while showing a video clip of proceedings of the Legislative Council where the Chief Minister praised Shabbir Ali for implementing water grid to provide safe drinking water.
Further, Shabbir Ali said as the then Hyderabad-Incharge Minister in Dr Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy’s cabinet, he was instrumental in implementing the Outer Ring Road project. The ORR was originally planned as a 6-lane and 62-km long project. But the Congress Government expanded it to a 12-lane and 159 km long highway without any signals. He said the Nehru ORR still serves as a model in the country. The same project boosted infra and real estate in the surrounding areas and as a result today, the government was able to sell an acre of land in Kokapet for Rs 100 crores. He said KCR family members, who were living in rented homes before Telangana formation, today constructed palatial bungalows and KTR was getting 30% commission in every high-rise building being constructed on the city’s outskirts.
Similarly, the previous Congress Govt started the Hyderabad Metro Rail project. But KCR Govt delayed it in the name of re-alignment and even dropped the Old City corridor from MGBS to Falaknuma, Shabbir Ali said.
“Before saying what Congress did, KTR should realise that it was due to Congress which created Telangana, his family got an opportunity to earn money,” he said.
He slammed KTR for speaking arrogantly. Stating that the Congress was winning the next Assembly elections, he said people would see where KTR’s arrogance would stand after 100 days.
Shabbir Ali said that the BRS Govt did nothing for the minorities in the last nine years. He said over 1.53 lakh loan applications were received in 2015-16 and none of them were approved. In the recent drive, nearly 2.5 lakh jobless minority youth applied for loans. However, BRS Govt has decided to provide loans to only 120 people in each constituency. “Can you eradicate poverty by giving Rs 1 lakh assistance to just 120 people in an Assembly constituency?” he asked. Further, he alleged that almost all 120 applicants were BRS activists and not the common people.
Shabbir Ali said that the people of Telangana, especially Kamareddy, would teach KTR a fitting lesson in the next Assembly elections.
Yellareddy Incharge Subhash Reddy was also present at the press conference.
