Hyderabad: Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday slammed the ruling TRS in Telangana over its ‘unkept promises’ at a public meeting, organised to mark the conclusion of the first phase of ‘padayatra’ by state BJP president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar.
Irani, who was the chief guest at the meeting held at Husnabad in Siddipet district, recalled that the Telangana agitation was mainly fought for ‘water, funds for development and jobs’.
But the people of the state were left disappointed now, she alleged.
The TRS’ promises of monthly financial assistance to unemployed youth, celebration of ‘Telangana Liberation Day’ on September 17 (the day of merger of erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad with the Indian Union in 1948) have not not been implemented, she said.
Irani alleged that the Liberation Day was not celebrated out of fear of AIMIM, which has said that the steering of the car (TRS poll symbol) is in its hands.
TRS could not provide houses to the poor as promised in its manifesto, but the Modi government got houses built for two crore people under the ‘PM Awas Yojana’, she said.
TRS could not provide lands to Dalits , but the Modi government gave ‘property cards’ to the poor through ‘SVAMITVA’ scheme, she said.
Irani, who highlighted the NDA government’s schemes of Ayushman Bharat, Fasal Bima Yojana and others, said that on the one hand, there is Modi and BJP, while on the other, there is such a leadership in the state that demolishes the secretariat building and adds a new house for itself without working for welfare of the poor, youth and women.
The BJP in Telangana, led by Sanjay Kumar, would work towards realising the incomplete dreams of the Telangana people, she said.
Sanjay Kumar, who started his ‘padayatra’ on August 28 from the Bhagya Lakshmi temple at the historic Charminar in Hyderabad, hit out at the TRS government over its ‘failures’ on employment, agriculture, education and other fronts.
Saying that he has been accused of inciting communalism though he talked about development, Kumar, known for his strong Hindutva views, asked the crowd whether he should talk about Hindutva or not.
Asserting that he and the BJP would work for the 80 per cent Hindus, he asked the Hindu society watching him to think as to what would be their situation in Telangana if the BJP does not talk about their problems.
It was the BJP that spoke out when conditions were imposed in Telangana on Ganesh Chaturthi festivities, he said and alleged that the TRS government indulged in minority appeasement politics.
The TRS and Congress are called secular though they are friendly with the AIMIM, but BJP is dubbed as communal when the party opposes it , he said.
“That’s why… think which rule you want in Telangana.. ‘Ram Rajya’, ‘Taliban Rajya’ or ‘Razakars Rajya,” he said.
Kumar said he would resume his ‘padayatra’ after the Huzurabad bypoll on October 30.