TRS Shattered Dream of Telangana, Ruined People’s Lives: Shabbir

Former Minister and ex-Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir has alleged that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has shattered the original dream of Telangana and ruined the lives of its citizens during the last six years.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan after participating in the flag hoisting on the occasion of Telangana Formation Day on Monday, Shabbir Ali said that the statehood for Telangana was the result of six-decade long struggle which was full of sacrifices by youth, students and other people. Congress President Sonia Gandhi granted statehood for Telangana as she wanted the region to achieved “Neellu, Nidhulu, Niyaamakaalu” (water, funds and jobs).

However, he said that the new State, immediately after its formation, fell into KCR’s trap who lured people with big promises. Within a span of six years, he turned the State into a dictatorship by dismantling all democratic institutions and crushing all voices of dissent.

Shabbir Ali strongly condemned the arrest of top Congress leaders on the Formation Day. “Is it not strange that the leaders of Congress party, which granted statehood for Telangana, were arrested on the pretext of stopping a possible protest against injustices to the State? This will be remembered as Black Day in the history of Telangana,” he said.

“Telangana was a rich and revenue surplus State at the time of its formation. But KCR Govt has turned Telangana into a bankrupt and debt-ridden State. The State’s own resources were mismanaged and huge loans to the tune of Rs. 3 lakh crore at higher interest rates were borrowed to get commissions. Today, we are left with no option but to reduce our daily meals from twice to only once to ensure payment of loan instalments and interests. These interest and repayments will go on for at least 10-15 years.

KCR has ruined the lives and careers of even future generations,” he alleged.

The Congress leaders said that TRS Government has wasted over Rs. 2 lakh crore in the name of new or re-designed projects. However, it did not spend only Rs. 20,000 crore to complete the pending project, he said.

Shabbir Ali said that simple analysis of journey of Telangana as a State since 2014 would reveal that it was neither able to provide jobs nor it achieved financial growth.

He said KCR even failed to provide one lakh jobs which he promised during 2014 elections. “Statistics were inflated to make fake claims of growth and Telangana’s resources were swindled by CM KCR, his family and a few close associates like termites. TRS regime even failed to protect the share of water in Krishna and Godavari Rivers. Everything revolved around KCR family and its activities remained confined to Siddipet, Gajwel and Sircilla,” he said.

After coming to power in 2014 on the promise of free KG to PG education, KCR systematically sabotaged entire education system. He closed thousands of primary schools, hundreds of junior and degree college and damaged universities by denying them required funds and faculty. Even after six years of Telangana formation, State universities have no full fledged Vice Chancellors.

Now he is privatising higher education by granting university status to private colleges, especially those owned by TRS leaders,”

Shabbir Ali said that health remained the most neglected sector under TRS regime. The promise of establishing super specialty hospitals in each district headquarter was not fulfilled.

Nothing was spent on the upgradation of existing healthcare infrastructure or manpower and the situation has turned so worse that the State Government was unable to handle outbreak of viral diseases like Malaria, Dengue, etc., “This negligence proved too costly when Telangana had to face a pandemic like Coronavirus.

Today, our State is not equipped to handle if the situation deteriorates further,” he said.

The Congress leader stressed that a new movement should be launched to accomplish the real dream of Telangana. He said that it was the Congress party which granted statehood and the same party would achieve the real objective of formation of Telangana.