B. Vinod Kumar

In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections he contested from Hanamkonda in Warangal and won it with the highest percentage of votes in Andhra Pradesh. As a Member of Parliament he played an important role along with TRS party chief K. Chandrashekar Rao in convincing 32 political parties on the issue of Telangana statehood. At the outset there was virtually no national-level support and the movement was dismissed as a ploy by politicians to grab power. However through persistent dialogue parties were brought on board and eventually letters of support were taken and submitted to the Pranab Mukherjee sub-committee which was set up to examine the statehood demand. He protested against the UPA for not keeping its promise of delivering Telangana by resigning from his Lok Sabha seat in March 2008. However the seat was regained by him in the subsequent by-election. As a people's representative, he undertook many developmental activities for his constituency.

Through his efforts, a power project was set up at Bhupalapally coal belt in Warangal district. It was in partnership with the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the Rural Electrification Corporation at a total cost of Rs. 2000 crore.[4]

National Highway 163 was formerly known as NH 202 Hyderabad-Bhopalpatnam passes through Warangal and was widened due to the intervention of Vinod Kumar as it was the site of frequent accidents. A particularly major one on Independence Day 2005 took ten lives and injured forty-five and this prompted Kumar to raise and pursue the issue of widening NH 202. His persistent intervention in Parliament also resulted in the construction of a high level bridge which crosses the Godavari river near Etunagaram village to cross the border into Bhopalapatnam in Chhattisgarh.[5]

The kalyanamandapam of the iconic thousand pillar temple of Hanamkonda was dilapidated and its restoration work was pending for many years. After becoming an MP Kumar raised the issue in 2007 with the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the Centre as well as the Archaeological Survey of India.[6] The Centre released funds of Rs. 3 crores after his persistent intervention.[7] The subsequent pace of restoration picked up and is now close to completion.[8]

The city of Warangal suffered from shortages of drinking water supply. Vinod took up the issue and tried to get the city included within the eligibility list for the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM). However, as a population of 10 lakh was required the city could not be included. Nevertheless, his efforts resulted in Warangal municipal corporation being given Rs. 178 crore in 2007 for implementing a drinking water project.[9] This project aimed at improving the drinking water system for the city and included plans for increasing the storage capacity of the Dharmasagar and Bhadrakali tanks, connecting them through pipelines to existing filter beds and constructing new filter beds.[9] The plan was successfully executed and met the drinking water needs of the city.

Vinod also held discussions with the then Chief Minister YSR to grant heritage city status to Warangal, owing to its historic identity as capital of the Kakatiya dynasty. The demand was not acceded to immediately but was finally considered in 2015 by the NDA Government which granted Warangal heritage city status under the Hriday scheme.[10]

As Member of Parliament, Vinod facilitated the state Department of Tourism’s plans to develop Laknavaram lake in Warangal district as a tourist spot. A wooden suspension bridge was constructed at a cost of Rs. 40 lakh to connect an island in the middle of the lake with the river bank.[11] Haritha hotel was also constructed in Hanamkonda.

The Kanthanapally mega irrigation project in Warangal district was launched as a result of a movement by the TRS. It was aimed at storing 100 tmc of water of which 30 tmc could be supplied to nearby Warangal, Nalgonda and Hyderabad districts for drinking water purposes. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) project was conceptualised by Telangana engineers and their ideas were put into practice through the political activism of the TRS.

Vinod filed a petition in the Supreme Court on the controversial Babli project. This resulted in the apex court directing the Central government to appoint a high-level technical committee on Godavari river water sharing.[12]

Due to the reorganisation of constituencies for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Hanamkonda was declared an SC reserved constituency. Vinod Kumar had to contest from Karimnagar instead of Warangal. Owing to inadequate time for campaigning he lost the election. Despite this he continued to work at the ground level on various public issues. He threw himself completely into the Telangana movement and started playing an even more vital role in the TRS party. As Karimnagar district TRS party in charge he actively toured the district during the Telangana agitation. As among the key aids of KCR he was at the forefront of taking many important decisions during the turbulent phase of 2009–14.

A practicing advocate, he brought his legal acumen to several of the legislative debates on bifurcation. He argued that article 371D of the Constitution of India would not be a hurdle to the creation of Telangana.[13] He also provided clarity on the necessary constitutional amendments required to facilitate smooth bifurcation, whether 2/3rds majority of the House was necessary for the passage of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 and the role of Section 8 of the Act which dealt with law and order.[14] Vinod also took an active role in fighting cases filed by political leaders from Andhra Pradesh in the Supreme Court to try and prevent the bifurcation of the state. Such activities provided intellectual firepower to the Telangana agitators and built their confidence.

In April 2013 the Bayyaram iron ore mines in Khammam and Warangal districts were allocated by a Government Order (GO) to Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.[15] This was severely opposed by TRS leaders including Kumar who alleged that this was a continuation of the loot of natural resources from Telangana by Seemandhra rulers. They demanded that a steel plant be set up in the Telangana region itself so as to provide employment to the locals who were far more deprived than their Seemandhra counterparts.[16] Vinod coined the popular slogan ‘Bayyaramu ukku Telangana hakku’ (Bayyaram’s ore is Telangana’s right) which became a rallying cry for the agitation.[16]

Vinod actively pursued the issue of non- allocation of additional seats for three prestigious medical colleges—Gandhi, Osmania and Kakatiya—in the Telangana region.[17] He questioned the disparity between differential allocation for Seemandhra and Telangana colleges[18] and demanded that the then chief minister KKR camp at Delhi and build pressure on the Prime Minister's office to get 150 additional medical seats (50 each) to the three colleges. He also met the Medical Council of India (MCI) secretary Professor Sanjai Srivastava and discussed the issue with him.

Performance statistics for Vinod Kumar Boianapalli from 1 June 2014 to 13 May 2015

In 2014 he contested in the general elections for the Lok Sabha from Karimnagar constituency and won with a huge margin of 2.04 lakhs. The state of Telangana was created the next month on 2 June 2014, bringing the 60-year-old movement to a close. As a senior leader of the TRS and one of the foremost leaders of the Telangana movement Vinod was appointed as the deputy floor leader of the TRS party in the Lok Sabha. This position is being used to ensure that all issues relevant to Telangana are raised in Parliament and that the TRS MPs get equal opportunities to speak on issues.

On 29 May 2014 the NDA Government issued an ordinance transferring 136 villages, 211 hamlets and seven mandals from Khammam district in Telangana to East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh for the sake of the Polavaram Project.[19] This was vehemently opposed by the TRS which argued that it would lead to the displacement of 3 lakh tribals. The BJD opposed the increase in the height of the dam, arguing that it was an arbitrary increase that would lead to the inundation of 307 villages in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.[20]

Vinod Kumar fought against the move inside and outside the Parliament. He filed two petitions in the Supreme Court, challenging both the ordinance and the design of the dam.[21][22] When the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2014 was introduced in Parliament to replace the ordinance, he moved a statutory resolution under article 123 (1) (a) of the constitution against the House taking up the Bill. He also raised a point of order in Parliament during the debate, arguing that the ordinance was unconstitutional as it had been issued when the separate Telangana State had already been formed. The President before issuing the ordinance had not elicited the views of the legislative assemblies of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, as was needed for altering boundaries of the two states.[23] Therefore, the bill was not valid under Article 3 of the Constitution. Nevertheless, as the NDA had superior numbers in the Lok Sabha the Bill was passed.

Karimnagar town is the only district headquarters in Telangana which is not connected to the state headquarters. The 146 km Manoharabad-Kothapalli railway line passes Vemulawada, which houses the famous Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Temple known as Dakshina Kashi. It then goes via Sircilla and Siddipet towns and aims to connect Karimnagar to Secunderabad.[24] The line was first proposed by the current Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao when he was the MP for Karimnagar during 2004-09 and was subsequently pursued by Vinod Kumar.[25] The Centre agreed to the proposal on the condition that the State government share one-third cost of construction of the railway project, provide land free of cost and also bear annuity for the first five years after commissioning of the project.[26] The State government agreed to the conditions and Kumar’s efforts were fruitful when Rs. 20 crore was sanctioned in the union rail budget 2015–16 for the line. The government of Telangana has also released funds for acquiring land for the railway.

Section 31 and 32 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act provide for the bifurcation of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.[27] However delay in the process of bifurcation led TRS leaders to protest against the Government stating that no action was taken even after nine months.[28] Vinod frequently brought up the issue in Parliament and alleged that the issue was being stalled on some pretext or the other. He argued that only six out of the total 29 judges were from Telangana and this led to discrimination in the handling of cases.[29] He even demanded the Prime Minister’s intervention after discussions with the Law Minister did not yield results.[30]

Section 26 (1) of the AP Reorganisation Act states that the number of legislative assemblies in Telangana be increased from 119 to 153.[27] However this has been held up by the Ministry of Home Affairs which has stated that the provisions of the section are subject to article 170 of the Constitution which prevents assembly seat increases from taking place till the year 2026. Vinod has been pursuing the issue in Parliament and has even asked for the Prime Minister’s intervention, arguing that there is no justification for the inclusion of article 170 in Section 26 and the words ‘notwithstanding’ should have been used instead of ‘subject to’.[31] He has also introduced a private member’s bill seeking to amendment the Act to this effect.

Some of the points made[32][33] by Vinod on the general budget were:

• Government should have kept its promise of giving income tax relief up to Rs. 5 lakh income as promised in the manifesto.
• Finance Minister should ensure that Committee of Finance Ministry, SMSE Ministry and RBI on MSMEs completes its work within the specific timeframe.
• Mahabubnagar district should be considered for Ultra Mega Solar Power Project.
• Finance Minister should sanction one IIM, one Medical College and AIIMS to Telangana state as the higher education has been neglected in Telangana State during the combined Andhra Pradesh State.
• Finance Minister should allocate more funds in Revised Estimates.
• Government should allocate some funds for opening up of Jan Aushadhis across the country so that the poor can purchase generic drugs in those pharmacies.

The demands made on the rail budget[34] were as follows:

• Completion of Peddapalle-Nizamabad project.
• Declaration of railway division in Kazipet.
• Renaming of AP-Express as Telangana Express.
• Initiation of more rail projects in Telangana as rail line coverage in the state is less than the national average.
• Govt should bring out a white paper stating by when they would complete all the pending projects.
• As 88% of freight is carried on road, railways should encourage more freight to go onto it.
• Bullet trains should also be initiated to connect all the metros of the country.

In addition to raising the issues of his state, Vinod Kumar has actively participated in debates surrounding national issues as well. He is a member of the standing committee on water resources and a member of the consultative committee on health and family welfare. He is also currently a member of the Joint Select Committee (JSC) that is examining the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015.[35]

Vinod represented the TRS party view on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015, popularly known as the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.

The points raised by him were as follows:

• Government should say which States are facing trouble in implementing the Act as implementation had not even begun.
• Consent and Social Impact Assessment provisions should be included in the main Bill and TRS party to oppose the amendment if this demand is not met.
• Telangana State framed Rules under section 112 of the Act which stated that implementation officials had to prepare a database of wastelands in the state. Suggestion accepted by Central Govt and brought in as an amendment.
• Land acquisition powers were historically misused for land grab and diversion to real estate.

Vinod Kumar represented the TRS party view on the contentious NJAC and wholeheartedly supported the Bill. He stated[36] that the regulations of the Act should be framed at the earliest as they would contain details of how judicial appointments would be made. Given the importance of this procedure, the Parliament should be kept informed by the Government. He also called for the creation of a dedicated all-India judicial service.

The following points were made by Vinod on the Constitution (122nd Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014:

• Supported the Bill with reservations.
• Welcome Central move to create a fund and make compensation claims a legal right.
• States should be given freedom to levy local taxes if the situation warrants.
• Clarity required on unclear how current exemptions including area-based exemptions such as SEZs and Export Oriented Units (EOUs) will be treated with regard to levy of GST.
• Clarity required on the place of supply will have to be clearly defined to avoid disputes among states in the case of inter-state transactions.
• Timeline for transition must be commercially feasible and realistically-acceptable for businesses to avoid transfer to price rise to consumers.
• Adequate training should be provided to relevant professionals such as tax administrators and tax professionals.
• IT infrastructure should be given focus as it is the backbone for implementation.

The following points were made on the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill, popularly known as the Black Money Bill:

• Supported the Bill with reservations.
• Limited efforts taken so far in bringing back black money.
• Certain provisions of the Act regarding foreign assets are unrealistic and can be used to harass NRIs who want to invest in India.
• Certain provisions of the Act can lead to double taxation of income and should be corrected.
• Act does not contain provision for stay of recovery of the tax and penalty, even though one may have filed an appeal against an incorrect demand raised by tax authorities. This will definitely encourage corruption by tax authorities.
• Move towards an amnesty known as a ‘one-time settlement’ is questionable given the failure of previous such efforts in the past.
• Government should recognise countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Mauritius, Switzerland, Cayman Islands, etc. as tax havens.
• Participatory Notes should be abolished immediately.
• Tax administration should be reformed and strengthened.
• Government should create/amend laws that put a limit to how much cash an individual can carry.

The following points were made on the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014:

• Opposed the Bill.
• Highlighted the fact that most juveniles have become like that because of a lifetime of poverty, violence, abuse and neglect and these are the main causes responsible.
• Opposed the trial of juveniles as adults under the provisions of the Bill and asked for more emphasis on rehabilitation and reform.

Vinod Kumar has taken several measures for the development of his birthplace and constituency of Karimnagar. Some of them are:

Adopted backward and tribal Veernapalli village under Pradhan Mantri Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. Many developmental activities have been started:

1. Opened Telangana Grameen Bank branch.
2. Requested and got 3G Telecom services for the village.
3. Requested and obtained sanction from Petroleum Minister for one LPG Outlet and one retail outlet at Veernapalli village.
4. Took initiatives to increase ground water level.
5. Organised mega awareness camp for adolescent girls along with Rainbow NGO and district officials.
6. Health camp and animal health camp.
7. Weekly cleanliness drive conducted.
8. Improving service delivery in anganwadi, schools and PDS.
9. Tree planting drive with 100+ trees planted already.
10. Rozgar Divas conducted every Tuesday for giving work orders and payment slips.

• Facilitated supply of water from Lower Manair Dam to Vemulawada and Husnabad towns of Karimnagar parliamentary constituency.
• Obtained sanctions from Human Resource Development Minister Smt Smriti Irani for construction of 3,575 toilets in 1922 schools of Karimnagar Parliamentary Constituency. This is under Swacha Vidyala programme through Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan in association with NTPC, Rotary International and Syndicate Bank.
• Through intervention got the Central Govt to open a Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) in Sircilla. Due to no allotment of land it was ready to be shifted to some other location, but through intervention land allotment and temporary accommodation were provided. Admissions have started for this academic year 2015–16.
• Asked UPSC Chairman to sanction two more Civil Services Exam centres in Mahabubnagar and Karimangar districts.
• Got a Cricket Stadium with seating capacity of 25-30 thousand spectators sanctioned. Hyderabad Cricket Association in association with BCCI is to build it.
• Efforts are on to start a regional extension centre of Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Karimnagar for the benefit of minorities.