Ponnam Prabhakar Accuses Amit Shah of Targeting Congress During Hyderabad Visit

Telangana Minister Ponnam Prabhakar criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that his Hyderabad visit was largely aimed at attacking the Congress rather than addressing issues concerning the state. He questioned Shah's silence on pending Telangana bifurcation promises, the BJP's earlier opposition to the state's formation and the financial assistance extended by the Centre to Telangana. Prabhakar made these remarks while responding to Amit Shah's roadshow in Hyderabad.

The minister said the Congress was equally opposed to granting voting rights to illegal immigrants but questioned the Centre's handling of the issue. He pointed out that Amit Shah was himself heading the Union Home Ministry and demanded an explanation on how foreign nationals could allegedly find a place in electoral rolls. He challenged the Centre to reveal the number of foreign voters removed through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and disclose how many illegal immigrants had been deported. He clarified that the Congress was questioning the deletion of eligible voters' names, not the revision exercise itself.

Prabhakar also challenged the BJP's Telangana leadership to participate in an open debate on the promises made by the Central government. He questioned what happened to assurances of monthly pensions for farmers, free electricity, Rs. 15 lakh for every household, lower prices and petrol at Rs. 50 per litre. He accused the BJP of failing to provide even a single ration card in Telangana.

Highlighting the Congress government's performance, the minister said it was implementing its Six Guarantees alongside several welfare initiatives, including fine rice distribution, new ration cards, 200 units of free electricity, free bus travel for women and government job recruitments. He also questioned the Centre's financial contribution to Telangana despite the substantial taxes collected from the state.

Prabhakar alleged that the policies of the Modi government were benefiting industrialists such as Ambani and Adani, while ordinary people continued to face rising prices. He criticised the BJP for concentrating on political attacks instead of addressing issues in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. He also sought an explanation over allegations that voter deletion applications were being distributed from BJP and RSS offices.