Congress leaders, including Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, on Monday, April 14, took objection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that the Telangana government was destroying the environment by felling trees on the contentious 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli land near the University of Hyderabad (UoH, popularly know an Hyderabad Central University, HCU).
Vikramarka described Modi's comments as an attempt to divert people's attention from Scheduled Caste (SC) sub-categorisation and enhancement of Backward Classes (BC) reservations to 42 per cent.
Addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone for Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Plant at Kali village in Haryana, the prime minister on Monday alleged that the Congress government in Telangana forgot the promises it made to the people during the elections, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
"The Congress government in Telangana is busy clearing forests with bulldozers. The Telangana government is damaging nature and endangering wildlife. This is the working style of the Congress. While the BJP government in Haryana is setting up biogas plants (under GOBARdhan - Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan scheme), the Congress government in Telangana is destroying nature and forests."
Reacting to the PM's comments, Vikramarka said: "Narendra Modi has made comments on Telangana to distract and divert the attention of the people from SC sub-categorisation and enhancement of reservations to 42 per cent for BCs."
During an informal chat with reporters, he said that the state government has neither destroyed any forest nor killed any animal. "Our government is committed to protecting forests," he added.
'PM shedding crocodile tears'
Meanwhile, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud alleged that Modi inaugurated five buildings on the UoH campus, which he said were constructed by cutting down several trees without forest, municipal and environmental permissions.
In a press release, Mahesh Kumar said that the prime minister was shedding crocodile tears over Kancha Gachibowli land. Ridiculing Modi's remarks on environmental conservation, the TPCC chief alleged that the former had given lakhs of acres of forest land to corporates.
He further said that trees have been cut down to facilitate Narendra Modi's rallies. "The PM himself has admitted it," Mahesh Goud said and urged Modi to check facts before speaking.
