TRS, BJP betrayed Telangana: Uttam Kumar Reddy

Nampally: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President & MP Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy has alleged that both TRS and BJP have betrayed Telangana State by sabotaging its economy and ruining the careers of lakhs of youth.

Addressing a meeting with the leaders of all Frontal, Departments and Cells of TPCC at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday in connection with MLC elections, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that both TRS and BJP have done utter injustice with Telangana State ever since they came to power in 2014. He said the wrong policies of TRS and BJP governments have pushed Telangana into a huge debt trap, while eroding lakhs of jobs and future opportunities. Both the parties turned Telangana into a 'crisis State' so as to extract political benefits.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that non-judicious spending of public money pushed Telangana State into a huge debt trap with the State now having debts of nearly Rs. 3.5 lakh crore. "On an average, TRS government borrowed loans of Rs 50,000 crore every year at very high interest rates. This money was spent on projects that could fetch commission/kickbacks for TRS leaders," he alleged, adding that the future generations of Telangana would be forced to repay these loans and high interest for the next two decades.

He said that the TRS government misused the resources of Telangana to benefit the family of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. Similarly, the BJP government at the Centre aggravated the situation by not releasing adequate funds for Telangana. The neglect by the Central government and financial recklessness of TRS government turned Telangana into a bankrupt State.

The TPCC chief said that the TRS and BJP governments also conspired to deprive Telangana youth of job opportunities. They stopped every project that could generate a large number of jobs. Consequently, the unemployment rate has doubled in Telangana State since 2014. Citing instances, he said that the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR), sanctioned by previous Congress-led UPA government could have created over 50 lakh jobs in Hyderabad and neighbouring districts.

But neither the TRS government pursued it with the Centre, nor did the BJP government ever review it to grant necessary funds. Other projects which were promised in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act like Kazipet Railway Coach Factory and Bayyaram Steel Plant were also not implemented just to deny the Telangana youth of new job opportunities.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that while the BJP leaders were hoping to make political gains by triggering communal hatred, TRS leaders were using ill-gotten money as commission and kickbacks in different projects to lure voters. He said that the graduates have now got an opportunity to teach both BJP and TRS a fitting lesson in the MLC elections. He also appealed to the Congress cadre to work hard to ensure victory of Congress candidates Ramulu Naik (Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda) and G. Chinna Reddy (Hyderabad-Rangareddy- Mahabubnagar) in the MLC elections.