BJP Leader Criticizes Telangana Government Over Rising Debt
Hyderabad: BJP leader A Maheshwar Reddy criticized the Telangana government for borrowing Rs 1.63 lakh crore in just 15 months. He claimed that the government was taking loans at a rate of Rs 1 crore per minute, which placed a financial burden of Rs 2.27 lakh on each individual in the state.
Speaking during a budget discussion in the Assembly on Friday, Reddy accused the Congress government of following the same borrowing practices as the previous BRS government. He argued that taking large loans does not indicate progress and questioned whether such financial policies align with the idea of a “rising Telangana.” He also criticized the removal of certain schemes, saying that the government’s promises lacked funding and called the budget “deceptive.”
Reddy went on to call the budget “a budget of lies,” pointing out that capital expenditure was only Rs 36,000 crore. He argued that revenue and capital expenditures should be balanced, but the Congress government had failed to do so. He warned that such financial mismanagement could push the state into crisis.
The BJP leader further alleged that the government had shut down the Praja Darbar, a public grievance platform. He highlighted that contractors were protesting over unpaid bills and had even threatened to besiege the Assembly if their payments were not cleared by March 25.
Discussing fund allocation, Reddy claimed that under the UPA government, the Centre’s devolution of funds was 33%, while the NDA government had increased it to 41%. He argued that blaming the BJP government for financial issues was unfair. He also pointed out that the state would need Rs 42,000 crore to fulfill promises like Rythu Bharosa and support for tenant farmers, yet only Rs 18,000 crore had been allocated.
Lastly, Reddy accused the previous BRS government of misusing funds through the Kaleshwaram project and alleged that the current government was doing the same with the Musi Rejuvenation project. He questioned whether the Congress government had a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Musi and criticized them for spending large amounts while simultaneously claiming the state was in debt.
