Political storm over KCR’s charter flight

KCR’s VISIT TO CHINA

Hyderabad: A political storm seems to be brewing over the decision of the Telangana State Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s decision to charter a special flight to China to participate in World Economic Forum from September 8. TPCC chief official spokesperson Dasoju Sravan Kumar said the Chief Minister was wasting public money.

He said the TPCC did not find any reason why a Chief Minister should hire a private plane and spend Rs 2 crore. Even if the government or TRS leaders claimed that it was for attracting foreign investment, the Chief Minister could have travelled by a regular flight.

As custodian of public money, Chief Minister was supposed to spend it in a prudent manner, more so because Telangana State was a new state and was achieved after long struggle. On one hand the government was saying that Centre was not giving enough funds for implementing various schemes and on the other the powers that were wasting Rs 2 crore.

Sravan alleged that the State government, which said that it did not have money to pay mess charges, or to reimburse the fees and hostel scholarships in the universities, was spending crores of rupees on luxury tours. “Is it not an anti-people act,” he asked.The leader of opposition in Legislative Council Shabbir Ali also found fault with KCR for wasting public money, particularly when farmers in the state were committing suicide.

Telangana TDP senior leader Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy also found fault with the Chief Minister for spending a whooping Rs 2.70 crore on the special charter flight. He said it was unfortunate that a Chief Minister of a State where highest deaths of farmers were registered in the country was spending ‘lavishly’ on foreign tours.

BJP MLC Ramachandra Rao told The Hans India that KCR touring within the state could be understandable, but hiring a chartered plane to tour China was bit too much. This was a burden on the new state. If KCR would go by a regular flight, the cost would be 25 per cent of what he would be spending on chartered flight. Ramachandra Rao felt that KCR was behaving in an “irresponsible manner.”

CPI State secretary Chada Venkat Reddy said this was an unjustifiable act. On one hand the people in the state were suffering from drought and farmers were committing suicide, on the other hand KCR was hiring a luxury chartered flight. Reddy said the government could have saved lot of money if KCR had gone by a commercial flight. KCR is sending wrong message to the people through his expensive tour, he added.