HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has announced that a new Pay Revision Commission (PRC) will be appointed soon and as per its recommendations the pay scale of government employees will be increased. He has assured that the country will be surprised by the new payscale, which, he said, will be the best in India.
Addressing the Assembly on the last day of the monsoon session on Sunday, he launched a blistering attack on the Congress, by explaining what the earlier Congress governments had done and what BRS is doing to transform the State socio-economically. Rao was especially offended by TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy’s call for performing ‘pindam’ ritual.
“Why should you offer ‘pindam’ to me, just because I have dedicated my entire life to fight for Telangana and now doing all these things to develop it? What kind of a party is this and what is this culture?” he asked, observing that the people will know whom to offer ‘pindam’ in the coming elections.
Explaining the events in history beginning from 1956, he said that Congress MLAs and ministers had remained mute spectators in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh whenever injustice was done to Telangana. Despite the passing of the Kakinada Resolution of ‘one vote two states,’ the then NDA government had not conceded the demand for Telangana statehood, in spite of new States like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand being formed.
Talking about State’s economic growth, he said that with a per capita income (PCI) of Rs 3,12,398, Telangana occupied 3rd position in the country in 2022-23. State’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) increased from Rs 5.06 lakh crore in 2014-15 to Rs 13.13 lakh crore in 2022-23, with an average growth rate of 159.6 per cent, he said. Wondering what the Congress was planning to do by discontinuing the Dharani portal, Rao accused the opposition party of planning to encourage land grabbers and multiple registrations.
“Through the revenue portal, we have effectively removed the interference of officials like VRO, MRO, RDO, joint-collector, collector, revenue secretary, CCLA and others. Now, the thumb imprint of the farmer is the only lord of the land. This is the empowerment of democracy and the farming community of Telangana. The farmers need to decide whether they want to keep it in their hands or leave it to the Congress,” he said.
BRS will continue to be a secular party
Also rubbishing the propaganda by certain political parties that BRS is the B-team of BJP, he reminded that NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who had made that allegation, had himself joined the BJP. Asserting that BRS has been and will be a secular party, he reminded that while Congress had spent Rs 925 crore on minorities welfare from 2004 to 2014, the BRS government has spent Rs 12,491 crore since 2014.
He also stated that while the SCCL used to generate revenues of Rs 12,000 crore during the Congress rule, it grew to Rs 33,000 crore under the BRS government. “The company’s profits which used to be Rs 419 crore during the Congress’ rule, have now increased to Rs 2,222 crore now.”
On BJP and Congress announcing freebies before the elections, he reminded that despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi commenting on ‘Revdi culture,’ BJP had announced 1/2 litre milk to all during Karnataka elections. He also recalled Congress’ announcement of Rs 4,000 per month welfare pensions during the Khammam public meeting.
“What will they do if we announce Rs 5,000 for Aasara pensions? If you think you have everything, we too have many weapons for the elections which we will be releasing one by one,” he said, evoking laughter among the members.
“What you can do you should say, and what you say you should do,” he advised the opposition members. Elaborating on the State government’s achievements in various sectors, IT and industries development, the chief minister said that it was all made possible through hard work and discipline, which showed Telangana’s fiscal prudence despite the Centre creating obstacles and delaying funds to the State. He confidently declared that the BRS would get 7-8 more seats in the Assembly compared to last time after the elections.
KCR’s claims on Telangana’s progress