BRS Members Walk Out of Assembly Over Sarpanch Funds Issue
The BRS members staged a walkout from the Telangana Assembly on Monday, accusing the government of failing to provide clear answers regarding pending funds for sarpanches in the State.
During the question hour, the issue of delayed payments to sarpanches was raised by T Harish Rao, who asked about the dues owed to them over the past year. Panchayat Raj Minister Dhanasri Anasuya, also known as Seethakka, responded by stating that the total pending bills for gram panchayats as of November 1, 2024, amounted to Rs 691.93 crore. She blamed the previous BRS government for the backlog.
Seethakka pointed out that while Rs 740 crore was sanctioned by the government and Rs 450 crore was released under the NREGS scheme, funds from the Centre under the 15th Finance Commission were not received. She criticized the BRS government, stating that Harish Rao, who served as the finance minister, could have resolved the issue with a single signature. She also expressed sympathy for the sarpanches and remarked that the BRS had earned the nickname “Bakila Rashtra Samithi” due to the non-release of funds.
In response, Harish Rao defended the BRS government, claiming it had released Rs 275 crore every month to gram panchayats. He argued that if the Congress government had provided similar monthly funding, the issue of pending dues would not have arisen. Dissatisfied with the discussion, the BRS members walked out of the Assembly.
Later, Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu countered Harish Rao’s claims. He reminded the Assembly that the Congress government took office in December, while the sarpanches’ term ended in February. He questioned why there were still pending dues if the BRS had indeed been releasing Rs 275 crore every month.
