BRS leader and former Minister T Harish Rao launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Telangana, accusing it of failing to fulfill its election promises and implementing welfare schemes effectively. Addressing a news conference at Telangana Bhavan, Rao criticized Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for betraying public trust and neglecting the needs of the poor.
Rao alleged that the Congress government has prioritized cutting benefits over delivering on its promises. “The Chief Minister, who made tall promises before coming to power, is now breaking them and betraying the people,” he stated. He cited the non-implementation of the first guarantee, Maha Lakshmi, and the lack of progress on the last guarantee, Cheyutha, as examples of the government’s failure.
The former minister highlighted that all six guarantees announced by the Congress government remain either unfulfilled or burdened with restrictions, depriving lakhs of people of their benefits. Rao accused the government of using announcements like those made on Republic Day to mislead the public. “This is disgraceful and a betrayal of the people’s trust,” he said.
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In an open letter to the Chief Minister, Rao emphasized that norms imposed by the government have excluded many eligible beneficiaries, causing widespread public anger. He called the Congress government’s approach a “curse on the poor” and a “burden on officials.”
Rao criticized the selection process for ration cards, which relied on caste census data and ignored applications submitted through the Mee Seva platform during the Praja Palana programme. He contrasted this with the BRS government’s record, stating that during their 10-year rule, 6,47,479 ration cards were issued, benefiting an additional 20,69,033 families. He pointed out that former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao had raised income limits to ensure more poor people could access ration support.
He demanded that the Congress government revise the income limits for ration card eligibility to Rs 2.55 lakh for rural areas and Rs 3.4 lakh for urban areas to accommodate all eligible families. “The Congress government’s focus on imposing cuts and excluding beneficiaries is unjust,” he added.
Rao also criticized the Congress government’s promise to provide Rs 12,000 annually to agricultural labourers, accusing it of imposing conditions that drastically reduced eligibility. “From the promised 1 crore beneficiaries, only 6 lakh are eligible now. This denial of benefits to 94% of the labourers is unjust,” he said. He urged the government to identify eligible labourers at the village level instead of relying on manipulated data.
Most agricultural labourers belong to SC, ST, and BC communities, and Rao emphasized that they deserve consideration for these benefits. “Restricting eligibility to just six per cent is a gross injustice to these communities,” he stated.
Rao highlighted economic challenges, citing data from the OECD and World Bank, which showed an average annual inflation rate of 5.42% over the last decade, leading to a 69.6% rise in prices. He urged the Congress government to account for inflation and revise policies to provide meaningful support to the poor.
Defending the BRS government’s track record, Rao reiterated their commitment to addressing the needs of the poor and accused the Congress government of falling short on all fronts. He called on the Congress leadership to take responsibility for its failures and prioritize the welfare of the people. The news conference ended with a strong appeal for the Congress government to act promptly to address the concerns of Telangana’s most vulnerable citizens.
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