KCR's Delhi visit had hidden agenda: Shabbir Ali

Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir has alleged that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had a hidden agenda behind his recent visit to the national capital.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan here on Saturday, Shabbir Ali said while KCR selectively met a few Union ministers during his visit to New Delhi, he had sent his daughter and Nizamabad MP K Kavitha to meet the Prime Minister to extend his party's support to anti-farmers Land Acquisition Bill. Both father-daughter duo tried to mislead the people by stating that they discussed topics other than farmers. While KCR met Defense Minister Manohar Parikkar and sought land to construct new Secretariat building, Kavitha claimed that she made representations pertaining to her Nizamabad constituency, he said.

"Is the new Secretariat building more important than farmers? People had lot of expectations that the Chief Minister will meet PM to seek Central assistance for farmers who were hit due to drought and untimely rains. However, instead of meeting Union Agriculture Minister and the Prime Minister, KCR met Parikkar seeking few acres of defense land for the Secretariat. This is highly condemnable as KCR completely ignored families of hundreds of farmers who committed suicide," Shabbir Ali said.

Shabbir Ali said that the TRS Government itself had admitted in November last that of 459 mandals, 332 received deficient rainfall. "Why those mandals were not declared drought hit? Why the report on damages due to drought and later due to unseasonal rains were not prepared and sent to the Centre? Instead of making efforts to get Input Subsidy, ex-gratia and other benefits for the affected farmers, KCR went on a leisure tour to New Delhi," he said.

"Kavitha's meeting with Modi was purely aimed at negotiating TRS support for Land Acquisition Bill. As eyewash, she claimed that she spoke about issues concerning the State. "Is it not strange that Kavitha spoke to PM on State's issues, while KCR was busy finalising site for the new Secretariat. The father-daughter duo is misleading the people," he alleged.

Shabbir Ali asked KCR to mend ways and start thinking about farmers' welfare. Else, he said people would teach TRS party a fitting lesson.