Harish Rao exposes Minister Jupally’s claims with contradictory debt figures

BRS leader T Harish Rao accused Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao of presenting contradictory figures on Telangana's debt and challenged him to resign. Citing RBI and Assembly data, he alleged that the Congress government was misleading the public on the State's finances.

Hyderabad: The ongoing political slugfest over Telangana’s debt continued on Friday, with BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao accusing Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao of making contradictory claims on the State’s borrowings, contrary to the Congress government’s own data. He challenged the Minister to resign if he had any conscience or self-respect.

In a strong counter to Jupally Krishna Rao’s open letter, Harish Rao released a PowerPoint presentation and shared documentary evidence, including Assembly proceedings and Reserve Bank data, with the Minister through WhatsApp.

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Questioning the Congress government’s debt figures, Harish Rao pointed to glaring inconsistencies. He said Jupally Krishna Rao’s latest letter put the Congress government’s borrowings over the past two-and-a-half years at Rs 1,77,058 crore, whereas RBI data showed the figure at Rs 1,86,067 crore as of June 30, 2026. He recalled that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had told the Assembly on March 18 that the debt stood at Rs 3,47,294 crore, asking why the government was presenting different figures at different times.

“Which number is correct, and where is the difference going?” the former Finance Minister asked, alleging that the government was misleading the public on the State’s financial position. He reiterated that Telangana’s outstanding debt at the end of the BRS tenure was Rs 4.17 lakh crore, asserting that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had placed the figure at Rs 4.15 lakh crore, validating his claim.

Accusing the Congress government of indulging in Goebbels-style propaganda, Harish Rao said no Minister had disputed his debt figures when he presented them in the Assembly. He urged Jupally Krishna Rao to verify the Assembly records, the Chief Minister’s speech and RBI data before responding.

The BRSLP deputy leader ridiculed Jupally Krishna Rao for repeatedly shifting the venue for a proposed public debate, from Telangana Bhavan to Gun Park and later to the Somajiguda Press Club, while ultimately avoiding a direct discussion. He also accused the government of using the police to prevent him from attending the debate at Gun Park.

“If you are a true son of Palamuru and have even a shred of self-respect, resign for misrepresenting the figures,” he challenged the Minister.