HYDERABAD: Accusing the Congress government of presenting unrealistic figures in the Budget 2026-27, BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao on Monday said that it lacked “purity, clarity and surety”.
Participating in the discussion on Budget, the former minister alleged that the current government had failed to live up to its promises.
Referring to Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s earlier claims of presenting a “realistic and planned Budget,” Harish argued that the actual figures tell a different story. He pointed out significant gaps between Budget Estimates and actual expenditures over the past two financial years. “In 2024–25, the gap between estimates and actuals was over Rs 59,000 crore, while in 2025–26 it remained around Rs 54,000 crore. A similar shortfall of Rs 45,000 crore to Rs 50,000 crore is likely in 2026–27,” he said.
Harish criticised the government for what he described as drastic cuts and discontinuation of several welfare schemes introduced during the previous BRS regime. He accused the government of neglecting farmers despite tall claims. He highlighted pending dues in loan waivers, crop bonuses and insurance, stating that the government owes tens of thousands of crores to farmers.
The BRS member also questioned the implementation of Rythu Bharosa, alleging that funds allocated in previous Budgets were not fully disbursed.
Raising concerns over “declining growth indicators”, he said that GSDP growth and per capita income growth had slowed under the current administration compared to the previous government.
Harish Rao questioned the government’s
“Telangana Rising” narrative, asking whether the state was truly progressing or regressing.
He alleged a decline in key sources such as State Own Tax Revenue, stamp duty collections and vehicle taxes, and attributed this to “irrational and destructive policy decisions,” including changes in land regulations and scrapping of major projects.
He also expressed concern over rising debt, stating that the government had borrowed heavily in a short span, pushing the state towards financial stress. Comparing it with the previous regime, he claimed that the pace of borrowing had increased significantly.