Wherever Congress rules, financial woes brim over

Like in Telangana, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh governments too delaying implementation of guarantees

Hyderabad: Some say it is just coincidence, but fact is that whichever State that the Congress is in power, financial woes are plaguing those States. Be it Telangana, Karnataka or Himachal Pradesh, all three have Congress governments and all the three States are facing financial crisis. So can this be just coincidence or something to do with the party?

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has been blaming the previous BRS government for the crisis and right from the moment he took over, has been campaigning that Telangana was facing a severe financial crunch. Last week, he even admitted that the government was struggling to raise loans as none trusted the Congress government. This sums up Telangana’s financial situation.

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Like in Telangana, the Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh governments are also delaying implementation of guarantees assured to the people. That is not all. While the Telangana Chief Minister has said that the State’s outstanding liabilities are nearly Rs 7 lakh crore, Himachal Pradesh has outstanding liabilities of Rs 94,992 crore with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu claiming that 70 per cent of the funds were being used to repay loans taken by the previous government. Similarly, in Karnataka, the outstanding liabilities are Rs 5,97,618 crore, according to reports.

In Telangana, the adverse impact of guarantees assured to the people is reflecting on the State’s finances. Save for a few promises like free bus travel and partial implementation of the Rs 500 LPG cylinder scheme and 200 units free power supply to households, the Telangana government has not implemented most of its poll promises.

In a desperate measure to generate revenue, the State government is now eyeing auction of lands. A row broke out after news came out that the State government was selling 400 acres at Kancha Gachibowli. The University of Hyderabad students are staging protests against the sale claiming that they belong to the university.

In Himachal Pradesh, citing healthcare and industrial requirements, the Cabinet has approved controlled cultivation of cannabis. A pilot study by two universities was also permitted towards this cause. However, this move has not gone well with many people. Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla expressed concerns and cautioned the government over the approval. The Himachal Pradesh government, in its budget, has also increased prices of cow and buffalo milk by Rs 6 a litre.

In Karnataka, just like the Telangana budget was met with severe criticism, the Congress government there was slammed by opposition parties, stating that the budget was more about appeasement than development. BJP State president BY Vijayendra said farmers were struggling with debts and losses, the State was plagued with power and irrigation issues, but the focus of the Congress was elsewhere.

“Rs 1.16 lakh crore borrowed, Rs 90,428 crore fiscal deficit and yet, Congress spends on selective appeasement instead of empowering all!” Vijayendra said on X.

There was also an uproar over the Karnataka government’s decision to increase the Metro and RTC bus fares by 15 per cent in one of its desperate attempts to generate revenue.
Not just coincidence, is it?