BRS leader T Harish Rao criticized the Congress government’s white paper, saying it was meant to defame BRS and its leader, former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, and portray Telangana as a struggling state. The white paper sparked a lengthy discussion in the assembly. Harish Rao challenged the government to investigate irrigation projects, claiming that BRS had laid a solid foundation for a strong economy. He accused the government of distorting facts and enlisting a retired IAS officer to draft the report, which he believed was designed to portray Telangana as bankrupt.
Harish Rao pointed out that Telangana ranked fifth from the bottom in terms of borrowing money and criticized the white paper for not showcasing the state’s capital expenditure of Rs 3.36-lakh crore or its efforts to create assets. He defended the previous government’s commitment to welfare and development programs during the pandemic and dismissed claims that the state was bankrupt.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar responded by questioning why government employees were not receiving their salaries on time if everything was in good shape. Harish Rao countered by highlighting the significant increase in Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) and per capita income over the past nine years, attributing it to the government’s actions.
Harish Rao also accused the current government of concealing achievements and reminded everyone that the state could not borrow money without permission from the central government. He mentioned that the Centre had offered additional borrowing if the state accepted electricity reforms, but BRS had chosen to prioritize farmers’ interests over fixing motors, unlike other states.
In response, Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy clarified that there was no provision in the reforms that required farmers to pay for consumed power. He stated that he had been part of the committee and knew that there was no plan to charge farmers.
Regarding Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s claim that Rs 95,000 crore was borrowed for the Kaleshwaram project, Harish Rao clarified that the funds were used for both the Kaleshwaram and Palamuru Lift irrigation projects.
