A day after the Congress ridiculed the Agricultural Leadership Award-2017, conferred to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, state minister K T Rama Rao lashed out at Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) general secretary Sravan Dasoju on Tuesday.
K Chandrasekhar Rao was selected for the award by the Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA), by a committee headed by agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan.
Doubting the credibility of ICFA, Sravan had said on Sunday that ICFA, the awarding agency had tainted the image of Agriculture Scientist M S Swaminathan.
He also alleged that ICFA granted award to KCR to save its business interests in the state.
Coming down heavily on KCR, Sravan asked the chief minister to introspect if he actually deserves the award.
Following this, KTR tweeted a picture of KCR working in an agriculture field, presumably near his farmhouse in Gajwel in Erravalli district.
The picture, which is a few years old, also shows Shravan with KCR. Shravan was a key TRS leader, who had switched to the Congress later.
“Leadership is not about titles or positions. It is one life influencing another. Hon’ble CM in his elements at his farm,’ Mr Rama Rao said in the tweet referring to accompanying picture.
Leadership is not about Titles or Positions. Its about one life influencing another
— KTR (@KTRTRS) August 22, 2017
Hon'ble CM in his elements at his farm pic.twitter.com/c2NfQZncsf
The picture seemed to take a dig at Shravan, following which the Congress leader has responded.
In an open letter, Shravan said, "After thorough introspection and deep reflection, I realised that the present TRS government is a 'fraudulent clique' headed by its supremo, continuously cheating his own trusted followers and people in general. Therefore, I distanced myself. Any picture or video or any images of the then social gathering that are being shown by disgruntled and fraudulent present TRS group is only to distort and deter people’s attention from their misdeeds.”
Addressing KTR, he said, "I am glad that you preserve the memories of my association with KCR, but you seem to have conveniently forgotten my contribution to strengthening KCR and the Telangana movement. In any case, I am not too sure if you have preserved the memories of KCR's association with Congress as Youth Congress leader and his association with NTR’s TDP and later his vital role in backstabbing NTR and associating with Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP."
He also added, "If you don’t have these videos and photographs, I will send them across for your knowledge.”
Lastly, he also challenged KTR, asking, "Are you ready for an open debate? Is the Indian Council for Food and Agriculture (ICFA) a private organisation or not? Is it not true that more than 3,500 farmers committed suicide due to debt and crop failures? Is it not true that your government failed to provide MSP to chilli farmers and labelled them as rowdies? Is it not that your government handcuffed farmers and jailed them for their demand for a better price for their agricultural produce."