Hyderabad: BJP in Telangana on Saturday came down heavily on Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, blaming him for farmer suicides and power crisis in the State, which came into existence over four months ago.
State BJP President G Kishan Reddy accused Rao of ignoring the plight of farmers and sought to debunk his promise of building a "golden Telangana". The Opposition party alleged that 270 farmers have committed suicide in the last four months due to water and power shortage. "On Diwali day alone, we have information that 14 farmers committed suicide. Under KCR's 'family rule' in Telangana, farmer suicides are fast increasing. Is it the Golden Telangana that KCR promised or suicides Telangana?" Reddy questioned at a press conference here.
"The Chief Minister himself has been saying the power crisis in Telangana will continue for the next three years. The Government does not have a proper plan to draw power from states like Chhattisgarh though they are ready to share it," the MLA said.
He demanded that the Telangana Government immediately convene an all-party meeting to discuss the power situation "If required, the Government should lead the all-party delegation to the Governor to find a solution to the crisis. The problem cannot be resolved by badmouthing others," he said referring to Rao's criticism of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu over the prevailing electricity shortage. The TRS Government should take immediate steps to address the power crisis and also to stop suicide by farmers, he demanded.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao took strong exception to the "foul language" the Telangana CM used last night against his AP counterpart. "KCR is speaking blatant lies. By using such foul language as a Chief Minister, KCR is making all Telugus bow their heads in shame. Chandrababu is working to protect the interests of all Telugu farmers," Umamaheswara Rao said.
The Telangana CM should stop indulging in false propaganda against his AP counterpart, the Minister added.
Telangana has been pushed into a severe power crisis due to lack of foresight on the part of the TRS Government, he charged.