Even as the BJP president Amit Shah was in Hyderabad on the last leg of his 3-day tour, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao angrily reacted to his criticism of TRS Government.
Responding to Amit Shah’s claims that the Centre had given an assurance of `1 lakh crore to Telangana during last three years but the TRS Government in the State had failed to utilise it, KCR threw a challenge, “If Amit Shah proves his allegations I will immediately resign as the Chief Minister. Otherwise he should tender an apology to the people of the State”.
Calling Amit Shah “Bharmit Shah”, KCR asked whether he thought he will get frightened by his false propaganda.
KCR charged Shah with spreading politically motivated lies and demanded an apology.
Even as Amit Shah was going to address the meeting of BJP workers from Hyderabad lok Sabha constituency Chief Minister convened a Press conference at his camp office to launch a scathing counter attack.
Asserting that there was a limit for patience and tolerance KCR said he cannot be expected to keep quiet in the face of such comments. “If you criticise me personally I don’t care but if you try to denigrate Telangana or adversely affect the development of State, I will not tolerate.. For KCR Telangana is Badshah (the king)”.
Replying to a question KCR said that he doesn’t see any danger of harm to his relationship with Prime Minister Narendar Modi from what Amit Shah said. He also stressed that he was not adopting a course of confrontation with the Centre.
“My only pain and reaction is that the unwarranted and uncalled for comments by Amit Shah will adversely affect the development of Telangana. In such a case KCR will never keep shut. I hope system will prevail and he will set himself right. He should take it as an advice and correct himself”, KCR said.
On Amit Shah’s claims regarding Central funds to Telangana, KCR said, “The Centre is not giving us any charity. It is our right”. Reeling out the figures of Telangana’s share in various taxes, KCR said that during 2016-17 the revenue from Telangana to Centre was `50,013 crore but the Centre gave less than 50 per cent of that to the State as its share. “Which Government was being run by whose money Amit Shah should reply”.
“Whether it is a BJP Government at the Centre or a non BJP Government the State has to get its due share”, he said adding they Telangana was treated at par with other States and was not given a single rupee more than what was its share”.
A furious Chief Minister said, “We are not a begging state Mr Amit Shah. We are one of the richest states in the country”.
KCR said that there were only six seven states like Telangana, Gujrat, Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu and Karnataka which were nourishing the country and all other states were in deficit.
Brushing aside the BJP president’s claim that his party will come to power in the State in 2019, KCR said, “The latest survey shows that the BJP will not get even one seat in the State. Soon I will release the details of the survey”.
Indirectly questioning BJP’s commitment to Telangana, KCR recalled that senior BJP leader lK Advani had said that when Hyderabad itself was in Telangana where was the need for separate Telangana State.