HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that he ventured into politics to break the decades-long shackles of oppression that marginalised communities faced, to form an egalitarian society, and certainly not by accident.
“I am not an accidental politician. I entered politics to fight feudal mindset, oppression and to form an egalitarian society. I know that this is possible only through legislation, which is why I entered the legislative body,” he said.
Vikramarka said that in the Rs 3,04,965 crore Budget, Rs 1,44,156 crore was earmarked for welfare of marginalised and underprivileged communities.
He was speaking in the State Legislative Assembly during his Reply to Appropriation Bill 2025–26. He promised to unearth the “financial destruction” that occurred in the BRS regime.
In his nearly one-and-a-half-hour speech, the deputy CM tried to highlight the contrast between the BRS and Congress governments, while noting that the present dispensation’s top priority is welfare, and that a lion’s share is devoted to it in the Budget 2025–26.
“In the 10 years of BRS rule, they have earmarked Rs 70,474 crore for BC, SC, ST, women, child, and minorities. Not even a single rupee was spent from these allocations. One should understand the loss these communities suffered due to this,” he said.
Referring to the recent Socio-Economic, Education, Employment, Political and Caste Survey conducted under the aegis of the Planning department, Vikramarka said that the government has meticulously analysed the survey to allocate funds to various communities. He also said that the Congress government will fulfil the six guarantees and allocated Rs 56,084 crore for this purpose.
Rebuking the BRS for the debts it incurred during its regime, he said that the previous government took short-term and long-term loans and the repayments were started only after the end of 10-year BRS rule.
He said that the BRS overburdened the state government with lakhs of crores of debt. He said that the Congress government presented an actual Budget without inflating the estimates by 20 per cent, which was the practice during the BRS regime.