Union Minister for Science and Technology S. Jaipal Reddy has asked Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy why was he having so many doubts and suspicions about his nativity in spite of claiming that he was born and brought up in Hyderabad.
In an apparent reference to the Chief Minister’s remark in the Assembly on Friday, Mr. Jaipal Reddy said the Constitution provided right to every citizen of the country to contest election from anywhere.
“One can get elected as an MLA from Telangana and become Chief Minister of Telangana State whether he/she is born in Hyderabad or in Rayalaseema or Coastal Andhra, if he/she has the capacity,” Mr. Jaipal Reddy said while releasing the annual diary of Telangana Tahsildars’ Association here on Saturday.
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Citing the example of Sheila Dixit, Mr. Jaipal Reddy said she was born in Punjab, married in Uttar Pradesh and got elected as an MP from there before settling in Delhi and becoming its Chief Minister thrice in a row.
On the criticism that the Centre’s decision on Telangana was against the federal spirit, the Union Minister said India was not a federation of States but was a Union.
Stating that Telangana was certain to become the 29 State of the country before the next elections, the Union Minister said polls would be held in two States next time. He stated that his role in Telangana would be like that of Y.B. Chavan who went onto become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra after Gujarat was separated from Bombay.
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Revenue officials would play a key role in making Telangana a corruption-free State as being wished by the people, he said. TJAC Chairman M. Kodandaram, BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya, TRS MLA K.T. Rama Rao, association president V. Lachi Reddy and others spoke.