Shabbir Ali rips apart TRS Govt on budget

Hyderabad, Nov 11 (INN): "This is a completely hopeless and directionless budget. The TRS Government has once again tricked the people using jugglery of words.

More than Rs 1 lakh crore budget sounds impressive, but these figures are completely unrealistic," said Deputy CLP leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir while speaking on Telangana's Budget in the State Legislative Council on Tuesday.

Backed by famous quotes and a few couplets of Urdu poetry, Shabbir Ali attacked the TRS Government's claims related to budget spending. His speech was marred by repeated interruptions and objections by the Treasure Benches.

Stating that the government began its journey in an agitation mode, he cited bandh calls given by TRS on May 29, four days before taking charge, and on July 12 over the Polavaram issue.

He alleged that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao neither took an all-party delegation to New Delhi nor he himself made representation with the Centre. He also questioned the Chief Minister over the drive to demolish illegal buildings. "Why did the demolition drive was launched and why was it stopped?" he asked.

Shabbir Ali also listed out the instances wherein TRS Government was rapped by different courts on matters including Transport Tax, EAMCET Counselling, Number Plates, FAST, de-recognition of 174 engineering colleges and agricultural market committees. "The judgment or remarks by the courts clearly suggest that the TRS Government is not adopting a proper approach to address matters of high importance," he said.

The Congress MLC accused the TRS Government of cheating the farmers on the promise crop loan waiver up to Rs 1 lakh. The government has delayed in making the payment of first instalment of Rs 4,250 crore which resulted in many farmers losing crop insurance.

Blaming the State Government for farmers' suicides, he said that those suicides were not even acknowledged by the government. Referring to GO Ms 421 issued by the Congress Government on June 1, 2004, he said that the previous Congress regime had extended financial assistance up to Rs 2 lakh to the families of farmers who committed suicide.

Intervening on the issue Forest Minister Jogu Ramanna admitted that several farmers have committed suicide and he himself visited their families in Adilablad district. He assured that the government would provide them financial assistance. Thanking the minister for the same, he demanded that the compensation amount should be increased to Rs 5 lakh each.