KTR targets Congress and BJP over financial discrimination, political diversion
BRS working president KT Rama Rao accused the Congress government and the BJP-led Centre of discriminating against Telangana in budget allocations and governance, demanded debates in the Assembly, and criticised probes, welfare cuts, and failure to fulfil investment promises
Hyderabad: Holding the Congress government in Telangana and the BJP-led Centre responsible for discrimination against the State in budget allocations, BRS working president KT Rama Rao demanded a discussion on the issue in the upcoming Assembly session. He also sought a debate on the investments promised in Telangana at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
In an informal interaction with mediapersons here on Monday, Rama Rao said that since assuming office, the Congress government had failed to deliver tangible benefits and was instead resorting to diversion politics through investigations targeting opposition leaders. Calling the prolonged questioning of BRS president and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao an attempt to create a media spectacle rather than uncover facts, he said the heavy police deployment during the inquiry was intended to shift public focus away from prevailing issues.
“The Congress is more interested in deriving political mileage rather than uncovering the truth. The phone-tapping case is baseless, which has been proved in courts repeatedly,” he said, also raising strong objection to Hyderabad Police Commissioner and SIT chief VC Sajjanar referring to the phone-tapping case as ‘illegal’. Courts, and not police officials, must determine legality, he said, cautioning officers against making public statements that could be seen as prejudging the issue. He asserted that investigations should remain within constitutional limits to preserve public confidence.
Rama Rao declared that attempts to harass Chandrashekhar Rao were an affront to Telangana’s self-respect and that the BRS would not be intimidated by investigations or political pressure. The government’s failures would ultimately be answered through democratic means, he said, reiterating that the party would continue to fight relentlessly for Telangana’s rights and dignity.
Thanking party workers for large-scale protests across the State, the BRS working president said demonstrations in over 12,000 villages, including burning of effigies in around 7,000 villages, reflected widespread dissatisfaction against the government. The public mobilisation was akin to the Telangana Statehood movement, with people visibly angry over administrative collapse and erosion of their confidence in the government.
“Yesterday’s protests were not mere political rallies, but a spontaneous public response, where people in villages had voluntarily participated to express their dissatisfaction against the ruling Congress,” he added.
Listing three core failures of the State government, Rama Rao pointed to alleged mismanagement of the Samakka-Sarakka Jatara at Medaram, deterioration in law and order with rising crimes, and neglect of natural resources including land, water bodies and coal reserves.
“The mismanagement at Medaram was so severe that public anger spilled over into vandalism, which is a telling example of the present regime’s incompetence,” he said.
He also blamed the government for failing to safeguard Telangana’s interests in Krishna river water disputes and yielding ground to the Centre and neighbouring States. He warned that projects like Banakacherla and Nallamala Sagar could permanently harm the State without corrective action.
On the Singareni coal tender controversy, the former Minister demanded an independent probe, monitored by a central agency or a sitting judge, into the irregularities in tender processes. He dismissed internal committees as lacking credibility. He also raised concern that officials acting against alleged land encroachments were being transferred, calling it a sign of political interference in administration.
Turning to national issues, Rama Rao said the Union Budget ignored Hyderabad’s strengths in life sciences and pharmaceuticals while allocating funds elsewhere. He argued that reductions in rural employment allocations and subsidies would hurt ordinary citizens and accused the Centre of adopting Telangana’s welfare models without extending proportional financial support.
Questioning Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s frequent trips to Delhi, the BRS working president asked what concrete benefits had accrued to the State, citing pending demands such as the mega powerloom cluster and infrastructure projects. Announcements of rail corridor projects were being projected as special assistance despite being part of routine national planning, he said, also seeking clarity on investment commitments announced at Davos. He urged the government to place a white paper before the Assembly detailing how many projects had actually materialised. He stated that repeated claims without visible outcomes were eroding public trust.
Responding to criticism from Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud, Rama Rao challenged them to spell out their contributions to Telangana’s development. He dismissed allegations of Mahesh Kumar Goud branding the BRS a “blackmail party” as baseless and said the ruling party should instead focus on fulfilling its electoral promises.
“People are watching closely and will judge the government’s performance at the ballot box,” he said. Ahead of municipal elections, he said the BRS would campaign on local governance issues and perform strongly across the State.
