Union Minister Joshi Slams TRS Over Nadda 'Grave'

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday lashed out at the ruling TRS in Telangana over a symbolic grave with an image of BJP president J P Nadda allegedly coming up in the state.

The symbolic grave allegedly came up in protest against the Centre not fulfilling the promise to set up a research centre to address the problem of flouride in water in the Nalgonda district of Telangana though Nadda had given an assurance to the effect when he was Union Health Minister.

Joshi, who was on a visit to Hyderabad as part of the BJP's 'Lok Sabha Pravas Yojana', said the NDA government is committed to setting up the centre and alleged that the TRS government has not made land allotment for it.

"A research centre on fluorosis. Our national president probably as the then Health Minister he had promised. Today, as a part of the Government of India, we are very committed to that assurance. But, they have not provided the land. Ultimately, the land will be the state subject," he told reporters.

Blaming the TRS for the symbolic grave, he said it only shows the "level" of the state's ruling party.

Criticism is natural in politics but building a 'samadhi' speaks about the "culture" of the party and its leader, he said.

Condemning the symbolic grave, Joshi said TRS president and CM Chandrasekhar Rao should apologise to Nadda for it.

Joshi also alleged that the TRS surrendered before the AIMIM.

He took exception to some women candidates allegedly being asked to remove their sacred 'mangalsutra' when they appeared for a government recruitment test recently.

On the TRS being renamed as Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), he claimed that it can be named as 'Rao Samiti' as TRS is a family party.

There has been no change for the better in Telangana during the TRS regime, but the party's name has been changed, he alleged.

He expressed confidence that the BJP would win the Munugode by-poll in Telangana to be held on November 3.

(Inputs from PTI)