Even as the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh is trying to gain political mileage by slinging mud at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for not giving nod to the Kadapa steel plant, the Telangana Congress party is making a similar attempt to corner the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi by not taking up Bayyaram steel plant in Khammam.
The Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that apart from Kadapa steel plant, there is no possibility of setting up a steel plant at Bayyaram as it is not economically viable.
The ruling TRS in Telangana, which is supposed to take up the issue on the lines of the TDP in AP, has remained silent on the issue and this has come a big opportunity for the Congress to gain political mileage.
On Thursday, the Telangana Congress leaders demanded implementation of all provisions of the AP State Reorganization Act including the establishment of a steel factory at Bayyaram in the State.
Congress MLC and the party’s deputy floor leader in the Legislative Council Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy told reporters that he filed a petition in the Supreme Court demanding implementation of assurances given to the State during bifurcation.
“This is the reason why I filed the petition seeking setting up of the Bayyaram steel plant,” he said.
Sudhakar Reddy said the Central government had not implemented a single assurance in the Act.
He also lashed out at Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao saying: “KCR failed to bring any pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi with respect to fulfilling Reorganization Act provisions.”
He also wanted to know why the Telangana BJP was mum on implementation of the Bifurcation Act provisions.
“The party president Dr K Laxman owes people an explanation on this,” Sudhakar Reddy said.
Mohammed Ali Shabbir, the Leader of the Opposition in the Council said KCR and his government failed to get the Central nod to projects promised in Reorganization Act, and demand that the Chief Minister discuss these issues with Modi during his Friday meeting with the Prime Minister.
“The Chief Minister should then disclose the details of the meeting to the people,” Shabbir Ali said.
Meanwhile, at Bayyaram, Congress workers on Thursday staged a rasta roko agitation for some time and burnt an effigy of of the Central government and demanded the establishment of the steel plant.
