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Cong takes dig at BJP over T’gana CM’s Raichur separation remarks
The statements by the Congress came a day after Rao in a public rally on Wednesday said that there were people in Raichur border who wanted to be merged with Telangana to benefit from the same kind of welfare schemes.
The Congress on Thursday criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state for maintaining a stoic silence for over 24 hours over Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s remark that the people of Raichur want their district to be merged with Telangana.
“Dear @CMofKarnataka, I am disappointed that not a single statement from you or anybody in the Govt on CM KCR garu’s claim that people of Raichur want to merge with Telangana because of their welfare schemes. It has been over 24 hours,” Priyank Kharge, former minister and Congress legislator, said in a post on Twitter.
“Why this step motherly attitude to KK (Kalyana-Karnataka) region? If it was #Belagavi border issue, entire cabinet would have come out in defense, why not for us? Does BJP Govt consider us a part of K’taka or not? What action have you taken against your MLA who suggested to merge with Telangana?” he added.
The statements by the Congress came a day after Rao in a public rally on Wednesday said that there were people in Raichur border who wanted to be merged with Telangana to benefit from the same kind of welfare schemes.
Karnataka textiles minister Shankar B Patil Munenakoppa on Thursday termed Rao’s remark on Raichur as politically motivated.
“The Karnataka government has identified Yadgir and Raichur as ‘priority districts’. Now, a lot of development will take place there. Keeping in mind the push Raichur would get, the Telangana Chief Minister raised the issue...which is far-fetched,” Munenakoppa said. “This statement is politically motivated, hence it does not require any reaction,” the minister said.
BJP’s Raichur MLA Shivaraj Patil said the Telangana chief minister should think of the welfare of his own state instead of talking about Raichur. “Since he (KCR) does not have any good thing to talk about his own state, he is speaking about Raichur,” he said.
He said which government would allow even an inch of land to be given to other state, let alone an entire district.
The Congress also shared an October 2021 video of BJP legislator Patil who had told the animal husbandry minister (Prabhu Chavan) that it would be better for Raichur to go to Telangana as the district meant little to the state. In the video, which the Congress shared, Patil can be heard saying the situation has become such that when one refers to north Karnataka, it means, Hubballi, Dharwad and Belagavi and Hyderabad-Karantaka means only Kalaburagi, Bidar. “Raichur can simply join Telangana,” he said in front of Chanvan.
(With PTI inputs)
