HYDERABAD: The Telangana State Legislative Assembly on Tuesday witnessed intense exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches over teachers recruitment, tourism development and other issues under the BRS and Congress regimes.
The debate, which formed part of discussions on the Demands for Grants for 2025–26, saw both sides clashing over their respective roles in these critical areas.
BRS MLA and former minister KT Rama Rao was vocal in criticising the present government’s decision to lease tourism properties for 99 years. He questioned the rationale behind such long-term leases while referring to the leasing of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) project by the previous BRS government for 33 years, which was also contentious at that time. “How can leasing ORR for 33 years be labelled as a major scandal, while government lands being leased out for 99 years is justified?” Rama Rao wondered.
“A 99-year lease is effectively a lifetime; the minister concerned must clarify how this is appropriate,” he added.
The BRS leader also raised concerns about the government’s priorities, stating the farmers are reeling under drought-like conditions, particularly its decision to allocate significant funds for high-profile Miss World competition to be hosted in Hyderabad.
He pointed out the contrast between the ongoing water scarcity impacting farmers and the state’s plan to host the Miss World competition, costing an estimated Rs 54 crore, and the Formula E race, with an expenditure of Rs 46 crore.
“How can spending Rs 54 crore for hosting Miss World competition be right, and incurring Rs 46 crore expenditure for Formula E Race be wrong,” he questioned.
Responding to his allegations, Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao defended the government’s actions, stating that many tourism properties had remained non-functional for years.
“We are taking steps to revive these properties and reinvigorate the tourism sector,” he said.
No teacher recruitment during BRS regime: Sridhar Babu
Earlier in the day, IT & Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu accused the previous BRS regime of failing to recruit a single teacher during its tenure. He claimed that the BRS government’s negligence was part of a broader plan to shut down schools. “Under the BRS regime, not a single teacher was recruited, and schools were closed down,” he said.“However, we have recruited over 11,000 teachers and have taken significant steps to strengthen the education sector.”
BRS MLA and former minister T Harish Rao strongly refuted these claims, asserting that the previous BRS government had indeed recruited a substantial number of teachers.
“We recruited 26,000 teachers, including 8,000 through the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) and 18,000 in Gurukuls,” he retorted.
Harish further challenged Sridhar Babu’s statements, insisting that the claims made by the Congress minister were misleading.
The session also covered a range of other important topics, with discussions focusing on the Demands for Grants for 2025–26, which included sectors such as School Education, Higher Education, Technical Education, Commercial Taxes, Tourism, Culture and Archaeology.