Hyderabad, October, 29: The TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu has challenged the TRS President K Chandrasekhara Rao to prove that he has benami properties. He said if TRS leader could prove that, he was willing to bequeath all those properties to KCR.
Addressing the party’s Rythu Sadassu (farmer’s conference) here on Saturday, Naidu said some people were purposely making allegations against him, after he had disclosed his assets. He said he could not be cowed down with such threats. He said as the then Chief Minister late Dr. Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and Gali Janardana Reddy robbed the state earlier, the present Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and KCR were robbing it now. He has sarcastically said that the Congress party was calling tenders whenever it needed money.
Alleging that there were large scale irregularities in the Polavaram tenders, Naidu wanted the details be made public. He has alleged that the Chief Minister himself had intervened and gave Polavaram tenders to unqualified persons. He said Polavaram estimates were enhanced by Rs. 600 crores a month ago and the Chief Minister was now claiming that they had saved the money. Stating that he was not against the project, Naidu said he was only questioning the corruption surrounding it. Demanding national status for Polavaram and Pranahita – Chevella projects, he said the state government should seriously try for it.
Naidu has assured the farming community that if his party was returned to power, it would give free power for agriculture for nine hours a day. He has also said that for power he would create a separate budget. Naidu has demanded separate parliament session to discuss the problems of farmers. He said the government does not appear to be willing to respond unless farmers take to the roads and agitate. He said his ‘Rythu Bata’ programme was not for political benefits, as was being alleged by his opponents. Stating that crops in lakhs of acres had withered away during the Sakala Janula Samme, he said the government should help the farmers who had incurred losses.
—-Source:AH