Hyderabad: Former Finance minister T Harish Rao urged chief minister A Revanth Reddy to fulfil his election commitment to implement the Land Regularisation Scheme (LRS) at no cost to citizens.
He criticized the state government for neglecting pressing issues such as the delayed crop loan waiver, inadequate support for farmers through the Rythu Bharosa scheme, and rising healthcare expenses linked to widespread fevers.
Rao accused the Congress government of focusing on setting collection targets for officials and imposing hefty LRS fees, which adds to the financial burden on the public.
He stated that village staff, including secretaries and bill collectors, are being pressured to aggressively collect these fees, with threats of cancelling property layouts if payments are not made promptly.
In an open letter to the chief minister on Monday, August 26, Harish Rao criticized the state government’s attempt to collect Rs 15,000 crore through the Land Regularisation Scheme (LRS) fee, deeming it an unfair burden on the populace.
He described this action as akin to “sucking the flesh and blood of the people.”
Rao reminded the chief minister of the electoral commitments made by him and other Congress leaders, including deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy and D Anasuya alias Seethakka, to implement the LRS without any fees.
He questioned the government’s shift in position, accusing it of taking advantage of the very citizens it promised to assist.
He highlighted the “hypocrisy” within the Congress leadership, noting that minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy had previously filed a petition against the LRS in the Telangana High Court.
Rao urged the people of Telangana to protest by refusing to pay the LRS fee, asserting that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) would ensure the LRS is implemented at no cost, holding the Congress government accountable for its promises.
