Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has reiterated the need for a qualitative change, a progressive agenda, which can steer the country out of its problems.
The country, he said, is in a dangerous situation wherein it is beset with politics of hate. There is no discussion or debate in the country other than “religious madness” and people’s needs took a back stage. “It is not important who will come to power at the Centre every five years. It is not about one front replacing another at the Centre. There should be a meaningful and practical change in the lives of people for which there should be a qualitative change,” he said addressing the gathering at the State Formation Day celebrations here on Thursday.
The Chief Minister said it was dangerous to gain political advantage out of communal clashes as the unity of the country would suffer if destructive elements were allowed to have their way. Such a situation would prevent international investments and would prove detrimental to NRIs. People in the country needed employment, projects, power and water and there was need for progressive and development path if the country wanted to be on a progressive path. “For this, new path of socio-economic and political agenda should be probed,” he said.
In this context, he said the Telangana agenda, envisaging distribution of fruits of development to all sections, should be implemented across the country and the people of the State should be on the forefront to build the “amazing India”. The Chief Minister lamented how the federal spirit of the Constitution was being destroyed with successive governments at the Centre usurping the powers of the States.
“While most countries are adopting representative democratic process, the opposite is happening here,” he lamented adding decentralisation of power did not take place while authoritarian tendencies were on the rise. The Constitution gave the States considerable political, legislative, administrative and autonomous powers but all the Governments in power at the Centre usurped the autonomy of the States violating the spirit of the Constitution.
He recalled that the VII Schedule of the Constitution clearly defined the powers of the Centre and the States prescribing Central, State and Concurrent lists. The Governments that ruled so far added various items from the States’ list to the Concurrent list. “The inventory of the Concurrent list is growing overtime and that of the States dwindling,” he said. Though different commissions like Sarkaria and Poonch had been appointed, their recommendations had been confined to dust bin.
The Chief Minister reviewed a parade on the occasion and gave away cheques for ₹2 crore each to Nikhat Zareen who won gold medal at the IBA Women’s world boxing championship and Esha Singh who won three gold medals in the recent International Shooting Sport Federation junior world cup in Suhl of Germany. He also presented ₹1 crore cheque to Padmasri Darshanam Mogiulaiah to mark the State Formation Day.
