Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhara Rao has stooped down to the level of either threatening Singareni employee union leaders to support the TRS affiliated Telangana Boggu Ghani Karmika Sangham (TGBKS) or inducing them with money and posts fearing a washout in the union elections, the Congress has alleged.
At a press conference here TPCC chief spokesperson Sravan Dasoju, former Union minister Balram Naik and Ram Reddy said that as the employees were chasing away the ministers who were trying to meet them for campaigning, the Chief Minister has sent his close aides to personally meet the leaders of various unions.
Corruption
The Congress leaders also alleged that SCCL Managing Director Sridhar has colluded with the government and TBGKS employees and their collective corruption is a big scam.
Mr. Sravan challenged Mr. Sridhar to go for an open audit and the Congress would prove all the charges by producing the relevant documents. He demanded an inquiry by CBI into the corruption charges.
‘CM afraid’
“Does it suit the stature of a Chief Minister,” Mr. Sravan asked. He said the CM is afraid of losing the elections as workers have realised that none of the promises he made in the earlier elections — like closing of open cast mines, regularising the contract employees, assurance of dependent employment and starting of a government medical college — were fulfilled. He said after three years the CM had issued a GO, that was full of loopholes, on dependent employment scheme knowing that it would be struck down by the courts. The GO was challenged by a Telangana Jagruthi leader in the court but the TRS was trying to blame the Congress.
leaders. Employees understand how the TRS had cheated them in the last few years, the TPCC spokesperson said.
Strike period
At the same time, the Chief Minister himself promised to release salaries for the period the employees had gone on a strike during the agitation for a separate State of Telangana but has gone back on it, he alleged. Out of the 58,000 employees only 25,000 employees got their salaries for the strike period, he said.
Union leaders like Raji Reddy, Mallaiah, Kanakaraju and Venkatrao have turned stooges of Nizamabad MP Kavita and were not working for welfare of the employees, he charged.
Selling mines
Mr. Sravan also alleged that the government was trying to privatise Singareni and efforts were on to lease out a mine in Taticherla to the Adani Group. Employees have also come down from 68,000 to 58,000 after the formation of Telangana.
