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Harish Rao’s salvos find Congress red-faced

By Oracle

T Harish Rao, Minister for Irrigation, who was on the forefront of the Telangana agitation, has come up with a dozen questions to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, which found the latter red-faced.

Harish Rao’s questions are logical and pointed, in the light of the “unholy nexus” between parties which have been pursuing diametrically opposite political policies. The TRS strongman sought to raise pertinent points that apparently closed all doors to Uttam Kumar Reddy from putting up a reasonable defence. The minister sought to know if the poll truck was conditional or unconditional.

A blanket adjustment between the Congress and the TDP would only be detrimental to the interests of the people of Telangana.

Harish Rao’s attempt to expose the fine print and asterisks for conditions in the poll pact of the two erstwhile arch rivals – the Congress and the TDP – indeed caused political asphyxia to the Congress leaders.

The very first salvo fired by Harish Rao has impaled the foibles of Chandrababu Naidu; his bid to stall the creation of Telangana; and his staunch anti-Telangana stand at every stage after the advent of two States? Harish has asked the president of the Congress party’s State unit to clarify whether Naidu has changed his stand or given any “assurance in writing” saying he would work for safeguarding the interests of both States, amid numerous petulant issues like bifurcation of High Court, Polavaram, employees, assets, and the seven mandals he had “usurped” from Telangana.

Would the AP Chief Minister withdraw the several court cases? This question has virtually done the Congressmen in, for they have not worked on the myriad ramifications the proposed truck will have.

Harish successfully exposed that the Telangana Congress has literally walked into the vicious trap laid by Naidu and is now unable to wriggle itself out.

Whirlpool of questions
Harish Rao, with his enormous knowledge on the subject of irrigation, virtually drowned the Congress and the TDP in a whirlpool of questions over different projects.

Questioning the Congress stand on the inevitable submergence of huge tracts of arable land and the historic Ram temple of Bhadrachalam because of the Polavaram porject, the Telangana Irrigation Minister sought to know if the TDP chief had agreed for a redesign of the mega project? He also sought to know if the Congress leaders could convince Naidu to withdraw his objections to Palamuru-Rangareddy, Tummidihatty, Kaleswaram and many other projects and let Telangana use 45 tmcft of Govari water as per the tribunal orders?

By administering questions on the flagship drinking water scheme, Mission Bhageeratha, Harish Rao controlled the epiglottis in the throats of the Congress bosses who were enamored over a pact with the TDP. For, Harish asked as to how the Congress could join hands with the TDP which has a serious problem with the use of water from the Krishna and the Godavari for the mega drinking water scheme.

Can the Congressmen get the huge financial loss of Rs 1 crore a day incurred by Telangana due to grabbing of Sileru power project by AP compensated ever? Harish Rao’s question on accommodating employees relieved from Electricity department, and withdrawal of court cases had the Congressmen in political crosshairs.

The Congress leaders are caught in a bind with the questions of Harish Rao who asked if the Common Minimum Program of the Grand Alliance of the Congress-TDP-TJS-CPI would have these points incorporated in it.

A political googly, indeed.

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