Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president, and MLA KT Rama Rao (KTR) criticised the recently presented Telangana Budget for “failing to promise anything substantial for the people of Telangana, ” during a discussion on the budget appropriation bill at the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, July 31.
He remarked that Telangana went through impressive growth over the last decade under the leadership of former chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) and added that the Congress party was tarnishing the image of Telangana by not acknowledging its success, “solely to score some political brownie points.”
KTR spoke extensively on the significant strides in economic and social development, presenting an overview of Telangana’s economic development and the policies that propelled it.
‘Telangana emerged as beacon of progress’
Quoting the Telangana Socio-Economic Outlook tabled in the house by the Congress government, KTR emphasized that Telangana has emerged as a “beacon of progress.”
He said that the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) soared from Rs. 4 lakh crore in 2014 to Rs. 14.5 lakh crore, and the per capita income reached Rs. 3,47,000, the highest in the country. Telangana’s contribution to the national GDP has risen from 4.1% in 2014 to 5% in 2023.
KTR explained that despite “mudslinging” by the Congress on financial management, Telangana’s development expenditure stands at 74%, the highest in the nation.
“The state’s committed expenditure, which includes salaries, pensions, and interest payments, is 47 paise per rupee, compared to the national average of 56 paise,” he added.
The senior legislator refuted claims of a debt-ridden Telangana, clarifying that the state’s debt-to-GSDP ratio of 27.9% is better than that of many other states.
He emphasized that the increased borrowing was strategically used for developmental projects. “Using debts for investments in productive sectors is not a debt but an investment for the future,” KTR asserted.
Congress suffering from “KCR phobia”
He added that the Congress government is suffering from “KCR phobia” and maintained that KCR’s mark on Telangana’s growth “can never be erased.”
Questioning the Congress party on why they set an “impractical” 100-day deadline for implementing the six guarantees, KTR asked when the government would fulfil their 420 electoral promises.
Lambasting the state government for taking credit for government jobs filled during the BRS rule, the BRS working president said that the BRS government filled 1,63,000 government jobs and nearly completed the process for an additional 30,000 jobs.
He said that instead of addressing the concerns of the unemployed youth and fulfilling their demands, the government is behaving in an autocratic manner.
KTR also added that during the tenure of former CM KCR, farmers’ suicides were at their lowest, thanks to initiatives like Rythu Bandhu and various schemes. However, he expressed concern over the rise in suicides of farmers, weavers, and auto drivers after the Congress came to power.
The former minister also spoke about various pressing issues that are plaguing the state, such as food poisoning in government hostels, power cuts, and deteriorating law and order.
He also questioned the “bogus” investment announcements made during CM Revanth Reddy’s visit to Davos in January and sought the government’s response on the cost escalation of the Musi beautification project and lands pooled for the Pharma City project.
Taking strong exception to Congress leaders’ remarks, KTR warned that promoting Telangana as a debt-ridden state could deter potential investors and harm the state’s economic prospects. He called for a balanced view, considering both assets and liabilities to reflect the true financial health of the state.
While vowing to support constructive policies brought by the current government, he urged the ruling party to avoid false propaganda and focus on genuine development efforts.
