Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday asserted that the Narendra Modi government has never meted out step-motherly treatment to any state and the BJP has always supported the formation of Telangana.
Speaking at an event to celebrate Telangana State Formation Day, he said once the BJP comes to power in the state after next year’s assembly polls, it will celebrate September 17, which commemorates the merger of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad with India, as 'Liberation Day'.
Shah also said that the country is indebted to Sardar Patel because if he had not been there, perhaps the map of India would not have been like it is.
He mentioned the names of several eminent people and freedom fighters from Telangana region, including Alluri Sitaram Raju, Ramji Gaur, Kumaram Bhim among others, who he said, struggled against the Nizams.
He also credited former prime minister Narasimha Rao along with Swami Ramanand Teerth for their roles in the country’s freedom struggle.
“I regret to say that even today Hyderabad Liberation Day is not celebrated. The regime is going to change in future and we will definitely celebrate (the day). We have no hesitation,” he said.
Shah said misinformation is being spread that the government is discriminating against Telangana, but it was not the case.
“We have never meted out step-motherly treatment to any state. Telangana has always been in PM Modi's heart but unfortunately, we did not receive a lot of support from state,” he said.
“From 2014-15 to 2021-22, Rs 2.52 lakh crore crore has been spent by Narendra Modi for the development of Telangana. If Telangana government had cooperated in the matter of schemes, this figure would have been Rs 3.50 lakh crore," said Shah.
In a lighter vein, the minister pointed out that if the funds given to Telangana by the Centre were to be listed, it would take till the results of next elections are declared to complete the process.
Shah further said that there was a struggle for years over the demand of a separate Telangana and more than 1,200 youths sacrificed their lives for the cause.
He said the BJP had always supported the establishment of a separate state but despite promises made in 2004, the demand was rejected till 2014.
Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee carved Chhattisgarh from Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand from Bihar and Uttarakhand from Uttar Pradesh but there was no quarrel anywhere and even today there is no dispute, Shah said.
But the carving of Telangana was done in such a way that it has led to bitterness, he added.
“The previous government did the division in such a way that it caused bitterness between the states. But let us dedicate ourselves to create a great Telangana by imbibing the formula of India's development through the development of Telangana,” he said.
The Union home minister also attacked Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and urged him to speak the truth.
“Even if you can’t speak the truth all the time, sometimes you must do so,” he said.
Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy also hit out at the Telangana chief minister, saying his allegations against Modi were politically motivated.
“For eight years he (Rao) hasn’t come to the secretariat. On the other hand, our PM has not taken even a day’s leave in the past eight years. There is no such PM in the world. Be it a Sunday, a festival or a birthday, he has remained engaged in the service of Bharat Mata. He works 18 hours a day. You don’t work for 18 hours in a month,” he said.
“You are making allegations against the PM with a political motive,” Reddy said.
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