HYDERABAD: After the fight over the Krishna river water, two ministers from AP and
Telangana on Friday engaged in unsavoury remarks over the “financial crisis” in Telugu states, and accused each other’s state government of being “bankrupt” and “begging for funds”.
The ministers, Vemula
Prashanth Reddy of Telangana and Perni Nani of
Andhra Pradesh, unwittingly entered into a war of words, each extolling his own government and criticising the other over financial bankruptcy.
It all began with roads and buildings minister Prashanth Reddy during a dharna on the paddy purchase issue in Nizamabad alleging that Andhra people are now seeking alms. “AP people said if Telangana were to become a reality, then Telangana people would have to seek alms. But thanks to the efforts of
TRS president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, we (Telangana people) have utilized our revenue for our region and the revenue is not going to Andhra”. He then added that “Andhra people are now seeking alms.”
Prashanth Reddy further said that AP chief minister
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is also “seeking alms from the Centre”. Now AP government cannot be run without borrowings. “Even for daily and routine expenditure, they are seeking help from the Centre. The AP government is fixing meters to agriculture borewells due to pressures from the BJP government at the Centre," Prashant Reddy alleged.
Strongly condemning the remarks of Prashanth Reddy, AP transport minister Perni Venkatramaiah (Nani) wondered how Telangana government had made such huge debts since its formation if it were so rich.
“TRS leaders have been roaming around New Delhi seeking loans and grants with an assurance to join the NDA government at the Centre. Jagan Mohan Reddy would never speak with a double-tongue unlike TRS leaders,” Nani alleged.
Nani further alleged that the TRS leadership is trying for an alliance with the BJP in New Delhi but posing as fighters for the cause of the poor back home in Hyderabad. “Our party supremo’s stand is always clear and straight,” said Nani, adding that AP has been making debts chiefly due to losing “Kamadhenu” like Hyderabad and the “blunders” of former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. He said that bankers would tell Prashanth Reddy as to how Telangana’s debts grew in the past seven years after the TRS took over.
On the other hand, Prashanth Reddy recalled that during the recent TRS plenary, KCR had said that there were thousands of requests from AP to launch the TRS in AP. “They even said they want schemes like Dalit Bandhu in AP,” he said.
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