Hyderabad: The challenges and counter-challenges between Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao and Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao don’t seem to be coming to an end. All the political drama that unfolded on Thursday, July 2, between the two tall leaders regarding the debt accumulated under the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) during its 10-year rule has spilled over to Friday, July 3, as well.
The latest challenge in the series of challenges was Krishna Rao announcing that he would be going to the Press Club in Somajiguda at 5 pm on Friday, along with what he called the answer paper in an examination he had written and signed, detailing all the debt incurred by the BRS government.
He dared either BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, its working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) or Harish Rao to come to the Press Club and debate with him on his claims. He, however, placed a condition for debate.
“I have already stated that I’m ready to tender my resignation if my claims are found to be untrue. If their claims are found untrue, will they resign or shut down their party?” he said.
Krishna Rao said that he was presenting the data on debt that was disclosed during the BRS government and not from the present Congress government.
Don’t know why Harish Rao was detained: Jupally
Replying to a question raised on why Harish Rao was detained and taken around in a police vehicle, when he went to the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial located at Gun Park, Jupally said that he didn’t know why Harish Rao was detained.
“I was at Gandhi Bhavan receiving grievances from the people. Just then Harish Rao held a press meet at Telangana Bhavan and announced he was going to the Martyrs Memorial. Even before I could go there, three ministers held a press meet there. I don’t know if there was any law and order issue or something else. Then I came to know that Harish Rao was detained,” he said.
Once again calling for a debate on the state’s debt, Krishna Rao appealed to either of the three BRS leaders to join the debate at the Press Club after accepting his challenge of tendering their resignations if their claims were found to be false.
Harish Rao counters Jupally’s data on debt
Addressing a party awareness programme held in Sangareddy on Friday, Harish Rao said that the data on state’s debt being given by Jupally Krishna Rao and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy were not matching.
Showing Jupally’s letter sent to him on WhatsApp to the audience, Harish Rao said that while the former had stated in his letter that the total debts incurred by the Congress government since coming to power were Rs 1,77,058 crore, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was showing the total debt taken by the state government through the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) as Rs 1,86,087 crore.
“These are the loans taken from RBI alone. If we include the loans being taken through various corporations and special purpose vehicles, the total debt till now will reach Rs 4.5 lakh crore,” Harish Rao claimed, also noting that the last time Rs 2,000 crore loan was taken from RBI was on June 30, 2026.
Also referring to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s statements from the floor of the assembly on March 18, 2026, Harish Rao said that the chief minister himself had revealed that till then, the Congress government had accumulated a total debt of Rs 3,47,294 crore in 27 months. If we include the debts taken after March 18, it could very well cross Rs 4.5 lakh crore,” Harish Rao claimed.
“Is what the chief minister says is correct, or what Jupally claims is right? Then why is RBI showing around Rs 10,000 crore more in debt taken? Did Jupally gulp away that difference amount,” Harish Rao quipped.
Claiming to have debunked Jupally’s lies, Harish Rao dared him to resign immediately.
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