Hyderabad, Nov 13 Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday hit out at the BRS and the BJP over their criticism of the ongoing Bharat Summit, accusing them of “blindly opposing” the Congress government’s programmes.
The state government would use the summit to showcase Telangana as the most sought-after investment destination, he said.
The two-day summit, backed by the state government, got underway with policymakers, political leaders and thinkers from the Global South and the Global North taking part. Nearly 1,000 delegates from 70 countries would attend, and each was being regarded as “Telangana’s Ambassador”, Reddy said.
He criticised the alleged cancellation of the visa of Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng, who made news in May after posing questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Oslo visit.
“The person who asked a question was refused entry into India because he (Modi) likes dictatorship. Nobody should ask him questions. He thinks he is a dictator. This is a democratic country,” he said.
Reddy alleged that Modi was promoting investments in Gujarat, and asked why GIFT City-like facilities were not being extended to other states.
“The Government of India and the prime minister are working only for Gujarat. This is my firm opinion and my allegation against him,” he added.
The CM said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would visit Hyderabad on Saturday, at the state government’s invitation, to inaugurate its policy for gig workers and to speak at the summit.
Reddy said the Bharat Summit would be followed by the ‘Invest Telangana Global Summit’ from December 7 to 9 at Bharat Future City on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
The government had already held curtain-raiser events in Delhi and several other locations, and was now planning to host them in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, he said.
Training his guns on Union Ministers from Telangana G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, state BJP president N Ramchander Rao and BRS leader K T Rama Rao, for “spreading lies” against the summit, he said the Congress government considered the two Union Ministers to have been removed from the Telangana census.
He questioned the two Union Ministers for not attending the all-party meeting convened by the state government on El Nino.
Recalling that Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had attended the curtain-raiser for the summit in Delhi, Reddy said BJP leaders had welcomed the move.
He wondered why the party was now opposing Rahul Gandhi’s participation.
The BJP and the BRS were opposing every decision taken by the Congress government, he alleged, charging that the two parties were against the rejuvenation of the Musi River, Metro Rail expansion and the Regional Ring Road, among other projects.
Reddy said the ongoing investigation by Telangana police into allegations of phone tapping during the previous BRS regime would conclude “in a few days” and that “surprise elements” would emerge.
His attack came after Ramchander Rao alleged that the Congress was bringing radical Left, anti-India groups from across the world for yet another relaunch of the “failed Gandhi dynasty”, and termed the event the ‘Anti-Bharat Summit’.
BRS Working President K T Rama Rao alleged that Rahul Gandhi did not show up when students demanding jobs were being “throttled” and beaten up by “Congress police”, or when farmers and other sections were in distress in the state.
(PTI News)
