KTR accuses Congress government of reversing Telangana’s development

BRS working president KT Rama Rao accused the Congress government of reversing Telangana's development and failing to fulfil key promises. Addressing party workers in Khammam district, he alleged corruption, questioned welfare implementation and challenged the government to release a White Paper on debt.

Khammam: BRS working president KT Rama Rao came down heavily on the Congress government in Telangana, accusing it of undoing the decade-long development achieved during the BRS regime, with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy acting like Hitler.

Addressing party workers in the Palair constituency of the district on Wednesday, he said that while the State’s revenues were plummeting and the economy was collapsing, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy’s empire of corruption had expanded manifold and Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka’s commission-based dealings had flourished.

---

Labelling Revanth Reddy a ‘notorious thief’ and Srinivas Reddy a ‘master thief’, Rama Rao accused the Revenue Minister of placing one crore acres of land under the prohibited (22A) list and intimidating landowners into transferring 20 to 30 per cent of their land to him.

He screened videos recorded during the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on Srinivas Reddy’s residences on September 28, 2024, and demanded to know why the ED, the BJP and the Congress had remained silent on the issue.

Srinivas Reddy cut off the microphone, preventing Minister Konda Surekha from speaking, and threw papers at another Minister, Vakiti Srihari. Both leaders belong to the BC community and were elected by the people just like him. The entire Telangana witnessed his arrogant behaviour, Rama Rao noted.

Rama Rao sought to know from Srinivas Reddy whether he would stand by his promise of building 20 lakh Indiramma Houses before the next elections and what had happened to the promise of providing the poor with Rs 6 lakh to build houses.

Former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao abolished the land tax that the Congress had continued to collect from farmers even after Independence. Now, the Congress government was planning to reintroduce the land tax and harass farmers, he alleged.

Referring to the Congress’s allegations about the debt incurred by the BRS government, Rama Rao said every rupee borrowed by the previous administration was spent on development, projects and welfare.

He challenged the Congress government to release a White Paper on how the Rs 4 lakh crore debt was spent. While it had failed to provide Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima benefits, promises such as one tola of gold for brides, a Rs 4,000 pension and a Rs 4,000 unemployment allowance remained unfulfilled even after three years.

People from all walks of life now felt that Telangana had fared better under K Chandrashekhar Rao’s rule and wanted his return. Along with membership drives, BRS cadres should channel public resentment against the Congress government into support for the party, Rama Rao suggested.