Chief Minister of Telangana, K. Chandrashekar Rao, unleashed a string of barbs against the BJP on November 7.
Responding to the central government’s appeal to the states to commensurately lower the VAT (Value Added Tax) on petrol and diesel, the Telangana CM asked Delhi to lower the cess instead. The state government has not increased the VAT since 2014 while the centre has increased its share of the taxes, he said.
‘The central government’s excise tax cut is a mere eyewash,’ said the Chief Minister.
Did you accomplish anything in the last seven years? KCR asks the BJP
The CM’s Press Conference comes soon after the TRS’s shock defeat in Huzurabad bypoll. BJP emerged victorious in the hotly contested election. The Chief Minister seemed to have decided not to concede any more political points to the BJP.
Mr. Chandrashekar Rao referred to his meetings with the central agriculture minister and said that the centre did not want to buy boiled rice anymore, and that is why he urged the Telangana farmers not to cultivate paddy. Yet, the BJP is threatening to carry out agitations demanding that the state government buy the same, he said.
The Chief Minister said that the BJP State President had claimed to have a plan to send him to jail. ‘Will you walk the streets of Telangana if you touch me,’ he asked.
‘It is not you (BJP) who should be protesting, but it is we who should be agitating,’ he said.
‘We will question the BJP on unemployment, the promise of 15 lakhs per family, assurance of 2 Crore Jobs,’ said Mr. Chandrashekar Rao, asserting that his government will carry forward with the proposed ‘Dalit Bandhu’ scheme (Direct cash transfer of Rs. 10 Lakh to each Dalit Family).
The CM wondered if the BJP had accomplished a single thing in the last seven years except for fueling the emotions of the public. The country’s GDP has taken a dive, he said.
He challenged the BJP leaders to prove any allegations of corruption in Telangana’s irrigation projects.
The central government had threatened to stop certain funds if the state government did not install electricity meters at the agricultural lands, KCR alleged.
The Chief Minister vowed to pursue the centre on pending promises from the AP reorganization bill, such as a Tribal University, Bayyaram Steel Plant, and a Railway Coach Factory.