HYDERABAD: BRS leader and former minister T Harish Rao on Friday questioned Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy over the claims the latter made during election campaigning in Kerala on implementation of welfare schemes in Telangana.
Speaking to reporters in Kodangal, the BRS leader said that people of other states, including Kerala, are aware of Revanth’s “exaggerated” claims and the ground realities in Telangana.
Alleging that Revanth betrayed tribal communities, misled people on job creation and neglected the welfare of SCs and STs, Harish Rao said: “It’s deeply ironic that Revanth Reddy is travelling to other states and speaking about governance and welfare, while in his own constituency of Kodangal, ST communities continue to face injustice, land-related harassment and official neglect.”
He alleged that the Revanth government has not rendered justice to STs as not a single Lambada leader was inducted into the Cabinet. Accusing the Congress government of completely failing to implement the assurances given to SCs and STs, he said: “While presenting the Budget, this government said it had allocated Rs 2,730 crore for the ST Corporation, but it has spent only Rs 52 crore.”
Harish also alleged that though the government allocated `100 crore to the Sevalal Corporation, it failed to release even a single rupee.
“This government seems to have funds for football events, camp offices and beauty pageants but not for ST students, ST welfare and tribal development,” he said.
The BRS leader also alleged that the Congress government failed to start any new schemes but succeeded in weakening or stopping the schemes that were successfully launched during the BRS regime.
On employment, Harish said the Congress government itself admitted on the floor of the Assembly that it had provided only 16,000 jobs, thereby proving that its earlier claim of providing two lakh jobs was false.
In an open challenge to the chief minister, Harish asked Revanth to identify even a single village in his own constituency of Kodangal where 100 per cent farm loans have been waived.