KTR challenges Revanth Reddy for open debate on Congress misrule, State finances and farm distress
BRS working president KT Rama Rao challenged Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to a public debate on governance, State finances and farmers' issues. He accused the Congress government of misrepresenting Telangana's financial position and failing to fulfil key promises made to farmers
Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao tore into Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, challenging him to an open public debate on the Congress government’s performance, State finances and farm distress during its 30-month rule. He lashed out at the Chief Minister for damaging Telangana’s reputation through repeated claims that the State was bankrupt.
Speaking to mediapersons at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday, Rama Rao said he was ready to debate the Chief Minister anywhere in Telangana, on any subject related to governance, farmers, employment or the State’s economy. He challenged Revanth Reddy to choose the venue, time and topic, asserting that he would back his arguments with official data and evidence. He declared that he would resign from the Assembly and retire from politics if he failed to substantiate his allegations against the Congress government.
The former Minister took strong exception to the Chief Minister’s repeated references to Telangana as a bankrupt State, alleging that such remarks tarnished the State’s reputation. He stated that no Chief Minister who genuinely cared for the State would describe it in such terms and accused Revanth Reddy of making inconsistent statements that undermined public confidence.
Questioning the Chief Minister’s frequent visits to New Delhi, Rama Rao asked why Revanth Reddy had travelled to the national capital 72 times in 30 months despite alleging that Telangana received little support from the Centre. He said instead of repeatedly visiting Delhi, the Chief Minister should focus on delivering effective governance in the State.
Rejecting the government’s narrative on Telangana’s finances, the BRS working president maintained that the State emerged as one of the country’s fastest-growing economies under the previous BRS government led by K Chandrashekhar Rao. He said Revanth Reddy had been citing contradictory debt figures ranging from Rs 6 lakh crore to Rs 8 lakh crore despite the Union government placing Telangana’s outstanding debt at around Rs 2.78 lakh crore in Parliament. He accused the Congress government of deliberately misrepresenting the State’s financial position.
“If Telangana is facing financial stress, it is because of corruption and financial mismanagement by the Chief Minister, his family members, Ministers and Congress leaders. The government is using exaggerated financial narratives to justify its inability to fulfil election promises,” he said.
Rama Rao devoted considerable attention to the condition of farmers, accusing the Congress government of failing to implement its key commitments. He stated that promised benefits worth more than Rs 1.13 lakh crore remained unpaid, including dues under the Rythu Bharosa scheme, farm loan waiver commitments, and assistance promised to tenant farmers and agricultural labourers.
Questioning the government’s priorities, the BRS working president asked when pending dues to farmers would be cleared, pointing out that Rythu Bharosa investment support had been released only for limited landholdings while being projected as universal implementation. He also criticised the government’s handling of fertiliser supply, crop procurement, irrigation and power supply, claiming Telangana was witnessing one of its worst agrarian crises.
He stated that the government lacked funds for farmers, students, women, pensioners and government employees, while simultaneously making allocations for political purposes. He also questioned the construction of the Chief Minister’s official residence at a cost of Rs 200 crore despite the government’s claims of financial constraints.
Responding to Revanth Reddy’s challenge for a discussion on governance, Rama Rao accused the Chief Minister of frequently issuing political challenges only to withdraw from them later. He reiterated that he was willing to debate at Warangal, where the Congress unveiled its Farmers’ Declaration, or at Ashok Nagar, where it made employment promises to youth.
Drawing a comparison between the BRS and Congress administrations, Rama Rao asserted that Telangana had witnessed significant progress in agriculture, irrigation and economic growth under K Chandrashekhar Rao, whereas the present Congress government had presided over declining revenues, a slowdown in the real estate sector, lower vehicle registrations and weaker GST collections. He alleged that the only area showing growth under the Congress government was liquor consumption.
He urged the Chief Minister to stop making irresponsible statements that damaged Telangana’s reputation and eroded public confidence. He asserted that the people would ultimately judge the Congress government’s performance and alleged that Revanth Reddy repeatedly targeted Chandrashekhar Rao only to enhance his own political relevance.
