Harish Rao targets Congress for funding Kerala campaign with Telangana public money

BRS P deputy leader T Harish Rao has accused the Congress government in Telangana of diverting crores of rupees from the State exchequer to fund election publicity in Kerala through newspaper advertisements.

Hyderabad: BRSLP deputy leader T Harish Rao targeted the Congress government in Telangana, accusing it of diverting public funds to bankroll the party’s election campaign in Kerala through expensive newspaper advertisements.

He said crores of rupees from the Telangana exchequer were spent on full-page advertisements in Malayalam newspapers projecting the State government’s achievements ahead of the Kerala elections.

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“On one hand, the Chief Minister keeps claiming the treasury is empty to implement schemes here. On the other, Telangana money is being splurged in another State for political publicity,” he said.

In a statement, Harish Rao cited the advertisements carrying photographs of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his Cabinet colleagues as proof that Telangana has been turned into an ATM for the Congress party’s election campaigns.

He accused the government of prioritising political propaganda outside the State, while failing to deliver on promises made to people in Telangana.

The BRSLP deputy leader reminded that the Congress had come to power assuring six guarantees and over 420 promises but failed to implement key commitments. He said the monthly financial support of Rs 2,500 to women, welfare schemes for students and youth employment commitments had not materialised.

“Schemes that do not exist on the ground in Telangana are being advertised in Kerala as if they are transforming lives,” he charged.

Harish Rao also criticised the government for diversion of departmental funds for non-priority purposes. He pointed out that public resources meant for education and welfare were being spent on publicity campaigns and foreign visits, while schools lacked basic facilities and students protesting for jobs were being lathi-charged on the streets.

He accused the government of neglecting farmers by delaying investment support and failing to implement crop bonus and loan waiver promises effectively. Welfare commitments such as enhanced pensions for the elderly and persons with disabilities were also yet to be fulfilled, he said.

“This inefficient government, which is not even releasing retirement benefits to government employees, is deceiving voters of other States with its fraudulent advertisements,” he added.

The senior BRS leader said the alleged spending on advertisements in Kerala was part of a wider pattern in which Telangana’s resources were being used to promote the Congress party in other States.

“From Maharashtra to Bihar and Delhi, Telangana money is being used for political campaigns of the Congress in other States,” he remarked.

He demanded that the Congress party reimburse the public money spent on advertisements and avoid such expenditure in future.

“The government has no moral right to spend Telangana’s funds on party propaganda outside the State, especially when it was denying the said schemes to eligible beneficiaries citing shortage of funds,” he said, urging people of Kerala not to fall into the Congress’s trap.