TRS hits back at Sitharaman with PM's photo on LPG cylinders over hike in cooking gas prices

The posters put up on cooking gas cylinders carried Modi's photographs along with price of each cylinder—Rs 1,105

The TRS has struck back at union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi pictures at the ration shops by pasting his images on the LPG cylinders.

In a video clip being circulated on social media, a pickup auto loaded with gas cylinders can be seen moving purportedly in a Hyderabad residential area. Posters are stuck on the cylinders with a message “Modiji - - Rs 1105” accompanied by a laughing image of the PM.

Read | Sitharaman vs TRS over missing Modi pic at PDS shop

The TRS retaliation came a day after Sitharaman, who is touring the Zaheerabad constituency as part of BJP's Lok Sabha Pravas Yojana, insisted the need of PM Modi pictures at the PDS shops saying that the central government is bearing the lion's share of the subsidized rice supplied to the poor.

Krishank Manne, the TRS social media convenor, who was made the chairman of Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao few months back, had posted the video on twitter on Saturday, with the message -

“You wanted pictures of Modi ji, Here you are Sitharaman ji.” Krishank tagged Telangana IT, industries minister KT Rama Rao who re-tweeted the post.

The TRS leaders including KCR have been reminding the public in general and voters in particular of the by-poll bound assembly constituencies like Dubbaka, Huzurabad earlier and Munugodu now about the “skyrocketed LPG prices” under the Modi regime.

Read | KTR 'appalled' by Sitharaman’s conduct with Collector

Interestingly, Krishank also tagged advocate-activist Prashant Bhushan, representatives of DMK, AITC in the tweet.

KTR calls financial minister's conduct "unruly"

In a series of tweets, minister and TRS working president K T Rama Rao criticized Sitharaman approach seen as pulling up Kamareddy collector Jitesh Patil during her inspection at a PDS shop at Birkur on Friday.

“I am appalled by the unruly conduct of the FM with the district magistrate/collector. These political histrionics on the street will only demoralize hardworking All India Service officers,” KTR tweeted.

BJP supporters responded saying that seeking answers from IAS officers “is very much more dignified than making them touch feet”, in reference to earlier incidents of some district collectors touching CM Rao's feet for blessings.

In another tweet, KTR, echoing the response of Telangana finance minister Harish Rao, said that “for every Rupee that Telangana contributes to the Nation, we only get back 46 paisa!”

“Madam, time to put up a banner: “Thanks to Telangana” in all BJP states’ at PDS shops.”