Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy addressing a press conference on February 28,2025 | Photo Credit: By Arrangement

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy reiterated his allegations that Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy was blocking permission for all the projects in Telangana to please his ‘secret friend’ K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Reddy said that in six years as a Union Minister he has not put forth a single project in the Union Cabinet for clearance and he needs to explain his failure and intention to the Telangana society.

“Why is Mr. Kishan Reddy ridiculing our demand for Metro Rail expansion and also Musi river clean up? BJP can spend to clean Sabarmati river and Ganga river and in the recent Delhi elections, BJP won promising to clean up the Yamuna. What is Mr. Kishan Reddy’s problem if we seek funds for Musi clean up,” he asked.

“I have been meeting all the Union Ministers with proposals and clearances for projects and even they are wondering why is there no pressure from Mr. Kishan Reddy,” the Chief Minister claimed. “I am convinced Mr. Kishan Reddy is the major obstacle for Metro Rail, Regional Ring Road and all other projects.”

Taking objection to Mr. Kishan Reddy’s question whether Telangana took up the projects with the Prime Minister’s permission and now seeking funds, Mr. Reddy reminded that India was a Union of States and they had the right to plan projects as per people’s demands and needs. “Don’t try to intimidate us,” he said and asked why is he silent when the semi-conductor companies were snatched from Telangana and moved to Gujarat and Assam with concessions.

“We don’t need to beg you and it is our right to demand central funds as the State is a big contributor to the national kitty,” he said further criticising the Union Minister’s inability to demand funds on behalf of the people elected by him. “We get 42 paise from every rupee contributed while Bihar gets ₹7.06 and Uttar Pradesh ₹3. He is behaving like Modi is sending tonnes of money to Telangana.”

The Chief Minister claimed that a conspiracy was being hatched to deny the southern states their just share in political and economic power in the name of delimitation of constituencies. “The BJP is conspiring to remain in power permanently and reorganisation in the present form will plunge the South into a serious crisis,” he argued.

Published - February 28, 2025 08:44 pm IST