Union Cabinet Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar. File.
| Photo Credit: G N RAO

Former BJP Telangana president and Union Minister of State for Defence Bandi Sanjay Kumar, on Sunday, said the Congress government’s proposed ‘Praja Palana Dinotsvam’ celebrations on September 17 is yet another sign of its “double standards” and “duplicitous” stance on the Hyderabad Liberation Day.

“Who asked the State government to change the nomenclature to ‘Praja Palana Dinotsvam’? Does it mean there was no people’s governance in the previous regimes of the party? It has no right to talk about Telangana when around 1,500 lives were lost during the agitation for separate State,” he said.

Addressing a press conference at the Parade Grounds after inaugurating a photo exhibition along with Rajya Sabha MP K. Laxman and other party leaders, he charged that “one party made use of ‘Telangana’ name, looted the State and was kicked out by the people. The same fate also awaits this government if it chooses to ignore people’s sentiments. Both parties are known for boastful talk,” he told mediapersons on Sunday.

Acknowledging that he had received the government’s invitation for the programme, he said the party leaders are ready to attend if the ‘Praja Palana Dinotsvam’ name is changed. “They (Congress leaders) can attend our Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations here at Parade Grounds after their official function. There is no harm in having two programmes and our programme is apolitical,” he maintained.

The BJP leader wondered why the Congress had never bothered to celebrate Liberation Day when in power and took objection to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy praising Majlis leaders when the party itself is “an offshoot of the Razakkars responsible for atrocities on the people of Telangana during the Nizam’s rule”.

The Modi government has decided to make people aware of the circumstances in which the Hyderabad State was joined into the Indian Union through Operation Polo by the then Home Minister Sardar Patel. “Did they (Congress party) ever recognise the services of valiant freedom fighters behind the Telangana struggle or even Sardar Patel,” asked Mr. Sanjay Kumar.

He also called for inclusion of Sardar Patel’s life and that of many unsung martyrs in the textbooks for the future generations to understand their contributions.

Earlier, legislature party leader A. Maheshwar Reddy told another press meet that Congress-ruled Karnataka has been celebrating the day and there is no reason for Telangana government to do the same instead of getting “worried” about losing minority votes or “fearing” Majlis party. Even if the Chief Minister tries to coin a new nomenclature for the day, people of Telangana were well aware of Liberation Day struggles, he maintained.

Finance Minister mentioned Telangana only once by promising to support the Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad as the Centre of Excellence.

Congress Lok Sabha member N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha on Wednesday was highly disappointing for Telangana. Further, he described it as an ‘anti-poor and pro-corporate’ budget.

Speaking to mediapersons at New Delhi after presentation of the Union Budget, Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy said no specific announcements have been made for Telangana in the budget speech. “The Finance Minister did not even mention anything about the fulfilment of promises made under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. The BJP government did not honour a single promise made through legislation passed by the Parliament in 2013,” he said.

“In the 58-page budget speech, the Finance Minister mentioned Telangana only once by promising to support the Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad as the Centre of Excellence. But no funds have been promised. We’ve seen several such fake promises by Modi’s government in the past,” he said.

Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the BRS government headed by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was equally responsible for the utter neglect of Telangana in the Union Budget. “KCR has failed to build pressure on the BJP to get adequate funds for Telangana. In the initial years, KCR acted as a devoted ‘Modi bhakt’ and now he is enacting the dramas of rivalry with the BJP. Earlier he supported and strengthened Modi and now he is focused on building his image as a ‘national leader’. He never cared for Telangana and did nothing to get the new State its due share in the Union Budget,” he said.

The Congress MP also slammed the BJP leaders of Telangana for not making any efforts to get funds or big projects for the State. “Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay and other two MPs miserably failed in convincing their party’s government to allocate sufficient funds for the State. They only enjoy playing blame games through media in the State, but show no courage to fight for the interest of Telangana in Delhi,” said Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy.