'Unruly conduct': FM Sitharaman reprimands collector in Telangana; KTR hits back

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on Friday, publicly pulled up a collector, Jitesh Patil, in Telangana for not being able to answer the Centre and the State's share of the rice supplied through fair price shops.

Sitharaman, while attending various programmes in Zaheerabad Parliamentary Constituency as part of BJP's 'Lok Sabha PravasYojana', also asked Patil why the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was missing at the shop in Birkur.

As the video went viral, Telangana minister KTR said he was 'appalled by the unruly conduct of Nirmala Sitharaman'.

T Harish Rao, Health Minister of Telangana, Sitharaman’s remark, said it was unbecoming of a Union Minister asking to keep the PM's picture in a ration shop.

“This is ridiculous. She is talking in such a way that it degrades the stature of the Prime Minister. She was talking as if all the rice (which is given free of cost) was being supplied by them (Centre),” Rao slammed FM Sitharaman.

The Centre supplies 10 kg of rice per month at Rs 3 per kg to only 50 to 55 per cent of the cardholders under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and for the rest 45-50 per cent, the Telangana government supplies at its own cost, Rao added.

Telangana Minister K T Rama Rao also expressed shock over Sitharaman reprimanding the official for being unable to provide her with an answer.

"These political histrionics on the street will only demoralise hardworking IAS officers. My compliments to collector Jitesh V Pillai, IAS on his dignified conduct," KTR tweeted.

Telangana BJP leaders shared the video and claimed that the IAS officer did not know that the Centre provides Rs 28 of the Rs 35 kg rice, which beneficiaries get at Rs 1, while the state government provides Rs 6. The collector had told the finance minister the state government's share was Rs 34.

Tagging a tweet by Sitharaman's Office that had also posted a video of her interaction with the official, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "National Food Security Act was enacted by Dr. Manmohan Singh's Govt in Sept 2013. There was no expectation that photographs of political leaders will be used to claim credit."

"Such melodrama from Finance Minister to remain in the good books of Prime Minister is highly unbecoming!" he said.