Harish Calls Leak Congress’ Diversionary Tactic
Hyderabad: Senior BRS leader T. Harish Rao on Tuesday said after BRS chief and former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s press conference on Sunday that the Congress government was cornered and was using dilatory tactics to avoid answering the questions it had raised.
“An example of this is the ‘leak’ from the government regarding phone tapping and Formula E cases for which KCR, KTR and I would be notified,” Harish Rao said.
“Following Chandrashekar Rao’s press conference, Revanth Reddy held a ‘chat’ with reporters at 9.30 pm to make remarks. This was followed by half a dozen other ministers, including irrigation minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, vying to hold a press conference. These reactions are a testament to the power of KCR’s questions,” Harish Rao said.
“After all, the Prime Minister did not respond to Chandrashekar Rao’s questions regarding Pharma City land and water sharing of the Krishna river,” he said.
Reiterating the accusations leveled by Chandrashekar Rao that Uttam Kumar Reddy had written to the Center that 45 tmc ft of water would be sufficient for the Palamuru Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme (PRLIS), Harish Rao said this forced the irrigation minister to admit that he had indeed written the letter.
The BRS leader’s comments came during an informal chat with journalists at BRS headquarters Telangana Bhavan. He said the irrigation project funds were mismanaged, with Rs 7,000 crore being distributed among senior ministers and bills being paid to contractors who agreed to give only 20 per cent commission.
“The government is said to be planning a PPT presentation on irrigation in Parliament. BRS demands equal opportunity to present its own PPT to ensure that the whole truth reaches the public,” he said.
He said the BRS had requested that the Parliament session be extended to at least 15 days to allow for a comprehensive discussion on the multitude of issues and crises currently facing the state.
