PM's poll speech "below the level of Sarpanch": Telangana CM KCR
Hyderabad, Apr 2: In a scathing attack on the Prime Minister, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao accused him of lying on central allocation to the state and said his campaign speech was "below the level of sarpanch".
Rao also said he does not have a desire to be the Prime Minister.
Taking exception to Modi's criticism against him that he consulted astrologers, the TRS president asked "if this is what the Premier should talk about".
Alleging that the Prime Minister did not speak the truth about allocation of funds to the state, Rao, also referred as KCR by many, demanded that Modi apologise to the people.
"What does Narendra Modiji speak? KCR sees horoscope...
Is this what is to be spoken, for the Prime Minister to speak?
Should persons running the politics of the country speak like this? In this country, the Prime Minister speaks going below the level of a sarpanch," he said.
Rao, who was speaking at an election rally at Warangal, was alluding to Modi's comments on him at a rally in Telangana last week that Rao consulted astrologers which affected governance.
"Narendra Modi ji, you are speaking absolute lies today.
(You) are bragging that you are giving Rs 35,000 crore (to Telangana). You did not give Rs 35,000 crore. My brothers and sisters should know. Delhi is not taking care of us. We are taking care of Delhi," he said.
Telangana gives about Rs one lakh crore to the Centre annually in the form of customs duty, income tax, centre's share in GST and others, he said.
What Telangana gets from Delhi is only Rs 24,000 crore, he said.
BJP leaders should answer if Telangana is surviving on Central funds, he said. Telangana is among five-six states that support the country, he claimed.
Rao said he does not fault the Centre over using the funds.
"You are taking and using Rs 75,000 crores of income which is generated from our state. We are not saying it is wrong. But lying after coming here, speaking unwanted things... don't speak like that. I demand that the Prime Minister apologise to the Telangana people. I request (him) not to speak such lies," he said.
Saying that both Congress and BJP which does 'golmaal' (bungling) are not useful to the country, he said that a non-Congress, non-BJP federal front government should come to power at the Centre.
The national parties do not address issues like farmers not getting remunerative price and problem with Pakistan, but does politics in states, he alleged.
Citing media reports, he said non-Congress, non-BJP parties would come to power at the Centre.
He alleged that both the Congress and BJP failed to ensure the country's development as it should have been.
Referring to the comments of a state minister that those who addressed people at the venue in Warangal went on to become Prime Minister, he said he has no desire to be PM.
"I don't have the desire to be Prime Minister", he said.
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Sculptor Ram Sutar, designer of Statue of Unity, passes away
New Delhi (PTI): Noted sculptor Ram Sutar, known for designing the world's tallest statue — Statue of Unity — in Gujarat, passed away late on Wednesday night at his Noida residence, his son said.
He was 100 and ailing with age-related illnesses.
"It is with profound grief that we inform you of the passing of my father Shri Ram Vanji Sutar on 17th December midnight at our residence," his son Anil Sutar said in a note shared with the press on Thursday.
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Born in a humble family in Gondur village under the Dhule district of present-day Maharashtra on February 19, 1925, Sutar is known to have been drawn to sculpting from his childhood.
A gold medallist from JJ School of Art and Architecture, Mumbai, Sutar, has to his credit a long list of achievements.
The iconic statues of Mahatma Gandhi seated in a meditating pose and of Chhatrapati Shivaji riding a horse on the Parliament premises rank among his finest creations.
The Statue of Unity honours Sardar Patel, country's first deputy prime minister and home minister.
Sutar was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016.
Recently, Sutar was conferred with the Maharashtra Bhushan Puraskar, the state's highest award.
