Hyderabad, Sep 8 (PTI) BRS Working President K T Rama Rao on Monday said his party would abstain from the Vice Presidential election on September 9 as an expression of “anguish” felt by Telangana’s farmers due to the shortage of urea in the state.
He alleged that both the Congress and BJP have “failed” to address the issue, which has led to scuffles among farmers waiting in queues.
“We are abstaining. We are not going to participate,” Rama Rao told reporters.
The BRS could have exercised the option of NOTA had it been available in the Vice Presidential election, the former minister said.
According to Rama Rao, his party has nothing against the two candidates in the Vice Presidential election — NDA’s C P Radhakrishnan and Opposition’s B Sudershan Reddy.
Acknowledging that both may have been good candidates, he, however, said they represent the BJP and the INDIA bloc respectively.
He alleged that neither the Congress government in the state nor the NDA government at the Centre has responded to the urea shortage, despite the crisis.
BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to abstain from the VP election after consultations with party’s Rajya Sabha members and other party leaders, he said.
The BRS has no representation in Lok Sabha, but it has four MPs in the Rajya Sabha.
Asked about the recent suspension of his sister K Kavitha from BRS for alleged anti-party activities, Rama Rao said there is nothing to add after the party has taken a decision.
“Whatever had to be discussed has been discussed in the party. Action has been taken. Once action has been taken, there is nothing further that I can add or comment,” he said.
Referring to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy laying foundation stone for Godavari drinking water supply to Hyderabad- Phase II and III and Musi river rejuvenation programme in Hyderabad by transferring Godavari water from the Mallanna Sagar reservoir, Rama Rao said Mallanna Sagar is a part of the Kaleshwaram project.
While the Congress government is defaming the Kaleshwaram project by alleging corruption and other irregularities, it had to depend on the same project to transfer water for Musi rejuvenation and drinking water supply, he said. PTI SJR GDK ROH
