Amid reports of the State government planning to sell 400 acres of government land to raise Rs 30,000 crore, BRS working president KT Rama Rao launched a scathing attack on the Congress government, calling it a desperate move exposing its financial mismanagement. He blamed the Congress for recklessly pushing Telangana into a debt trap while failing to fulfill its key promises.
During the BRS regime, the government took loans but ensured that they directly benefited the people. Under the BRS rule, Rs 73,000 crore was credited directly into the accounts of 70 lakh farmers through Rythu Bandhu, Rs 28,000 crore crop loans were waived off, and Rs 6,000 crore was allocated for Rythu Bima, providing Rs 5 lakh each to 1.11 lakh bereaved families, he said.
Over 45 lakh people had benefited from pension schemes, while flagship programmes like KCR Kit, Nutrition Kit, and Kalyana Lakshmi were implemented successfully, the former Minister pointed out.
“We supplied 24-hour free electricity, completed irrigation projects like Kaleshwaram and Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation
Schemes, restored 45,000 lakes, established 1,000 Gurukul schools, and 30 medical and nursing colleges. Every rupee borrowed was invested in people’s welfare,” he added.
In sharp contrast, the Congress government borrowed Rs 1.65 lakh crore in just 15 months but failed to fulfill any major electoral promises.
“They have implemented Rythu Bandhu partially, scrapped Rythu Bima, abandoned farm loan waivers, imposed power cuts, neglected Gurukuls, and let irrigation projects like Kaleshwaram dry up. The collapse of the Srisailam tunnel, killing eight people, is a direct consequence of their inefficiency,” he said.
Calling the land sale plan a betrayal of Telangana’s future, he said the Congress was more interested in filling its party coffers than serving the people.
“Back then, they claimed debts were bad. Today, they are looting Telangana’s resources while the poor get nothing. This is an irresponsible government focused only on empty rhetoric and corruption,” he said, demanding an explanation for the land sale and the massive debt burden.