Hyderabad: Taking a shot at ex-TRS health minister Eatala Eatala Rajender, Telangana finance minister T. Harish Rao on Sunday asked the former if he has “forgotten the times when he cared” for the people of the state.
Harish Rao, while addressing a public meeting at Huzurabad, said, “Have you forgotten the days when you cared for the people of Telangana, and questioned the government over its negligence of the state? It’s clear that you want to satisfy your needs, as opposed to people’s requirement,” said the Harish Rao, who was campaigning for the ruling TRS’s candidate with regard to the upcoming Huzurabad bypoll.
On Sunday, T. Harish Rao on Sunday inducted ex-BJP workers ahead of the Huzurabad bypoll, which is scheduled to be held on October 30. The state finance minister has been campaigning on behalf of Telangana Rashtra Samithi candidate G. Srinivas Yadav.
The finance minister welcomed the eight new joinees and congratulated them on “making the right choice”. Addressing a gathering, he assured the public that the TRS leaders would tour the constituency fortnightly if Srinivas wins the by-election.
Taking a dig at Eatala Rajender, Harish Rao asked “Why have you changed your stance over farm laws at a crucial time ?”. He further attacked Rajender for “spreading false information on the failure of government schemes” and for also making “false promises” just during his ongoing election campaign. Rajender has been winning the Huzurabad seat for nearly two decades.
Eatala, a former maoist, had joined the TRS when it was founded in 2003, and is a former aide of TRS supremo and Telangana chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR). He was the health minister until mid-May this year when KCR sacked him from the state cabinet due to allegations of land-grabbing. He then quit as an MLA in June and joined the BJP.
Harish Rao also lashed out the BJP-led Centre and asked women at the meeting if they are satisfied with the central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Are you satisfied with the rising fuel prices? The central government has given us a new gift for Bathukamma; they increased the fuel prices. It has increased gas cylinder prices to nearly Rs. 1,000. The actual price should be Rs 400 only,” he said.