Hyderabad: Rejecting chief minister A Revanth Reddy’s allegations that Telangana was being shortchanged by the Centre, Union health minister and former BJP national president JP Nadda on Thursday accused the Congress of misleading people with a politically motivated North versus South narrative and asserted that the state had received substantial support from the Modi govt.Addressing an intellectuals’ meet in Hyderabad, Nadda claimed Telangana had received over ₹2 lakh crore through tax devolution and other central assistance. Taking a swipe at the chief minister, he said Revanth’s “mathematics is weak” when it comes to assessing the Centre’s contributions to the state.Accusing the Congress of repeatedly pushing the same narrative for electoral gains, Nadda said the party was trying to create divisions despite significant financial support from the Union govt.“Kaath ki handi baar-baar nahin chadti (the same trick does not work every time),” he said, alleging that the Congress was attempting to mislead people with the same arguments. Nadda added that similar allegations were being made by Congress govts in other states, including Himachal Pradesh, despite continued central assistance.Listing the Centre’s contributions to Telangana, Nadda said the BJP-led NDA govt had expanded the state’s national highway network to more than 2,500 km, sanctioned multiple power projects and established AIIMS Bibinagar. He also highlighted Hyderabad’s emergence as a major semiconductor hub.According to Nadda, the Centre’s infrastructure push would significantly improve connectivity across Telangana, enabling people from different parts of the state to reach Hyderabad within four hours. He also accused successive state govts of failing to effectively implement the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, thereby depriving eligible beneficiaries of housing under the centrally-sponsored scheme.Targeting the Congress govt on the political front, Nadda alleged that Telangana had become an “ATM” for the party’s central leadership in Delhi. Referring to an earlier statement by Revanth, he said the chief minister himself had remarked that Telangana could send Rs 1,000 crore annually to the Congress high command if required. “Those are not my words; they are Revanth Reddy’s,” Nadda said.He further alleged that while the previous BRS govt had turned the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project into an “ATM”, the Congress govt had converted the entire state into an ATM for its leadership in Delhi.Nadda also claimed that the NDA govt had largely succeeded in eliminating Left-wing extremism. Referring to Telangana’s history with Naxalism, he said people in the state understood the threat better than most and asserted that the problem, which once affected eight states, was now confined to only two districts.‘AIIMS Bibinagar nearing completion’Nadda said the Centre is committed to developing AIIMS Bibinagar into a centre of excellence, with 87% of the ₹1,000 crore project already completed.After reviewing the institute along with Union minister G Kishan Reddy, MPs DK Aruna and K Laxman, and AIIMS officials, Nadda said 24 departments were functioning and two batches of MBBS students were currently studying there.The hospital receives around 1,800 outpatients daily, while its telemedicine services have benefited more than one lakh people. Nadda said the institute is well positioned to emerge as one of the country’s premier medical institutions.
