The TRS Government’s decision to shift Telangana Secretariat to a new location in Erragadda has opened a can of worms as almost entire Opposition has launched a blistering attack on Chief Ministe K Chandrashekar Rao’s ‘obsession’ with Vaastu Shaastra.
While some have advised him to keep his ‘beliefs’ confined to home, others have alleged that the decision to build a new Secretariat as per Vaastu was prompted by his fear of a revolt by his nephew T Harish Rao.
“The Chief Minister does not have any right to waste Rs150 crore of public money in the name of Vaastu,” said Mohammed Ali Shabbir, Congress leader in legislative council. He advised KCR to stop treating Telangana as his “personal or family estate”. Shabbir said that all the problems of Telangana will be solved only when KCR was removed from power.
Another Congress leader Bhatti Vikramarka said, “he is promoting superstitious beliefs as he is afraid that his nephew can stage a revolt against him”. He was referring to T Harish Rao, a senior Minister and a close aide of the Chief Minister.
“It is ridiculous to say that because of Vaastu defect no Government in the past could work effectively. So many Chief Ministers have earned name with their good work,” he said.
Congress threatened that if the decision was not withdrawn, it will launch an agitation. The Congress leaders alleged that the move to shift the Secretariat from the present location was aimed at benefiting the land mafia.
Earlier, also the Opposition Telugu Desam Party had tried to use Harish Rao’s name suggesting that KCR should make way for Harish Rao as he was young and more dynamic.
TDP deputy leader in Telangana Assembly Revanth Reddy said that the present Secretariat was good for the people of Telangana and not good for the dictatorial rulers. “It was only after the construction of this Secretariat that Nizam’s rule came to an end. Similarly, the rule of Andhras over Telangana also ended with this Secretariat", he added.
He wanted to know which Pundit had advised him that the present Secretariat had Vaastu defect. State BJP president G Kishan Reddy lashed out at KCR saying he was behaving like Nizam. He termed the decision on Secretariat shifting as unilateral and arbitrary. He took objection to KCR using the public money to build new buildings.
State CPI leader K Narayana targeted both KCR and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for their fetish. “While Vaatsu bug has bitten KCR, Naidu has been bitten by Yoga bug,” he said.
He was referring to the three-day long Yoga Programme the Naidu Government had organised for the Ministers and MlAs at a cost of crores of rupees. The training programme by Jaggi Vasudev was personally attended by Naidu.
“It is all being done to divert the public attention from the real issue,” said Narayana. As both the present Secretariat and the proposed site have heritage buildings built by the Nizams, heritage activists were also up in arms against the Government decision.
The present Secretariat was originally Saifabad Palace and parts of the old building were still intact. All attempts by the previous Government to pull down G Block was resisted by the activists. They fear that after the secretariat was moved out and buildings were auctioned, the heritage structure will be demolished.
Similarly, the Chest Hospital in Erragadd as also located in Nizam era heritage building and KCR Government was planning to pull it down to make way for new Secretariat buildings.