HYDERABAD: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday alleged that the Congress government was not acknowledging the development of the state that took place during BRS rule.
“The government is alleging that the state’s debts have increased during BRS rule, but it is not even referring to the assets created by the BRS government,” Rama Rao said.
Participating in the debate on the Appropriation Bill in the Legislative Assembly, the BRS working president criticised the recently presented Budget, stating that it failed to promise anything substantial for the people of the state.
Highlighting the impressive growth of Telangana over the last decade under the leadership of former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Rama Rao alleged that the Congress was tarnishing the image of Telangana by not acknowledging the success of the BRS solely to score some political brownie points.
Quoting the Telangana Socio Economic Outlook tabled in the House by the Congress government, Rama Rao said that the state emerged as a beacon of progress. He said that the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) soared from Rs 4 lakh crore in 2014 to Rs 14.5 lakh crore now, and that the per capita income reached Rs 3,47,000 — the highest in the country. “Telangana’s contribution to the national GDP increased from 4.1% in 2014 to 5% in 2023,” Rama Rao said.
He said that despite mudslinging by the Congress on financial management, Telangana’s development expenditure stands at 74%, the highest in the country. The state’s committed expenditure, which includes salaries, pensions and interest payments, is 47%, against the national average of 56%, the BRS working president said.
He said that the state’s debt-to-GSDP ratio was 27.9% and was better than that of many other states. The BRS leader said that the increased borrowing was strategically used for developmental projects. “Utilising debts for investments in productive sectors is not a debt but an investment for the future,” Rama Rao said.
Alleging that the Congress government was suffering from ‘KCR phobia’, the BRS MLA said that KCR’s mark on Telangana’s growth could never be erased.
Questioning the Congress leadership why it set an impractical 100-day deadline for implementing the six guarantees, the BRS working president asked when the government would fulfil its “420 electoral promises”.
“The BRS government filled 1.63 lakh jobs and nearly completed the process for an additional 30,000 jobs,” he said, adding that instead of addressing the concerns of the unemployed youth and fulfilling their demands, the Congress regime was behaving in an autocratic manner against its predecessor.
Rama Rao also touched upon recent incidents in the states such as food poisoning in government hostels, power cuts and deteriorating law and order.