Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu has no right to call Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy as “Dalita Drohi” since the Congress had done a lot for SCs and STs, Minister for Tribal Welfare P. Balaraju said here on Tuesday.
"An ex-Chief Minister should not talk like that. Mr. Chandrababu Naidu was a frustrated man", Mr. Balraju said at a press conference. "The leader who did not bother to attend Assembly to discuss the ST and SC Sub-plans cannot criticise the government which was the first in the country to bring in Acts on SC and ST Sub-Plans, increased assistance in housing for SCs and STs, scholarships and provided many benefits", he remarked.
State government allotting iron ore mines in Warangal, Khammam and Karimnagar districts to the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant was a good decision, Mr. Balaraju said. Iron ore was a national resource and there should be no objection in sending it to the VSP while a Rs. 1,000 crore plant in the mines’ area would provide employment to the locals, the Minister said.
Mr. Balaraju said he had opposed merger of Bheemunipatnam into the GVMC while Minster for Investments Ganta Srinivasa Rao supported Anakapalle’s merger. However, the proposals were still in initial stages.
Mr. Balaraju released a poster on the annual jatara of the famous Modakondamma temple in Paderu, to be celebrated from May 12 to 15.