Hyderabad: Escalating the political pitch ahead of the municipal elections, chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, accusing both of neglecting Nizamabad and allowing the municipal corporation to deteriorate into what he called a ‘garbage dump’.Pitching the Congress as the only vehicle for urban development, he urged voters to elect Congress candidates, promising funds, an airport and comprehensive development of urban local bodies across the district.Addressing an election rally at Bardipur in Nizamabad district, Revanth said the BRS and BJP had no moral right to seek votes. “Narendra Modi has been the PM for 12 years and KCR served as the CM for 10 years but did not do anything for Nizamabad city. PM Modi or local MP D Arvind could not include Nizamabad in the central govt’s smart city project. Arvind is using the name of PM Modi. Is the PM required to clean a drain line in Nizamabad? If you vote for BRS or BJP, their corporators and councillors will not be able to get funds,” he said.‘BRS stalled development’Accusing BRS corporators of stalling development, the CM said the state govt had sanctioned substantial funds but projects were obstructed at the local level. “We are spending ₹1,045 crore in the municipalities of the undivided Nizamabad district. Previously, 90 per cent of the representatives were from BRS. Even though the state govt sanctioned funds, BRS leaders obstructed development,” he alleged.Revanth further said, “If funds are needed, the local MLA should come to me. Providing the funds is my responsibility. Completing the district projects is my responsibility. Our corporators and councilors must win; only then will the work get done. The people of Nizamabad should not miss this golden opportunity. The Congress flag must fly high in Nizamabad”.Revanth also referred to comments made by Arvind on KCR and T Harish Rao (former minister) and questioned the absence of arrests. He said the state govt had handed over the Kaleshwaram project to the CBI but alleged that no action had followed. He accused Union coal minister Kishan Reddy of shielding KCR, saying, “Kishan Reddy has become Kalvakuntla Kishan Rao. It’s like a ‘fevicol-like bond’ between the BRS and BJP. They are like conjoined twins Veena-Vani (from Hyderabad).”Touching on caste-related remarks directed at him, Revanth said leaders had used different labels after the caste census and SC categorisation exercises. “I am proud that all castes and communities have included me in their caste and consider me as being favourable to BCs, SCs, STs, minorities and others. I will take all communities and develop Telangana into a model state,” he said.Earlier in the day, the CM laid foundation stones for over ₹800 crore worth of works in Nizamabad district, including three Young India Integrated Residential Schools in Armoor, Bodhan and Nizamabad rural constituencies, and projects at Telangana University. He later distributed bank linkage cheques to self-help groups and handed over ₹1 crore each to the families of excise constable Soumya and police constable Pramod Kumar.Revanth said the Congress returned to power in 2004 and 2009 in undivided Andhra Pradesh under the YS Rajasekhara Reddy-D Srinivas leadership and asserted that the party would return to power again in 2029 under his and TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud’s leadership.
