Revanth Reddy’s bankruptcy remarks show intellectual and moral failure of Congress: KTR

“Revanth Reddy has abandoned his responsibility as the head of the State,” he said, adding that no Chief Minister in India’s history had ever made such pessimistic statements. He charged the Congress government with intellectual bankruptcy and moral decay, for seeking silly excuses to evade fulfilling its poll promises.

Hyderabad: In a strong rebuttal to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy‘s remarks about Telangana becoming bankrupt and unable to raise even loans, BRS working president KT Rama Rao termed it a deliberate attempt to discredit the State’s financial health and escape the blame for unfulfilled electoral promises. He said Revanth Reddy had exposed himself as the most incompetent and inefficient Chief Minister in independent India.

“Revanth Reddy has abandoned his responsibility as the head of the State,” he said, adding that no Chief Minister in India’s history had ever made such pessimistic statements. He charged the Congress government with intellectual bankruptcy and moral decay, for seeking silly excuses to evade fulfilling its poll promises.

Speaking to the media at Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday, Rama Rao warned the Chief Minister and other Congress leaders against maligning Telangana’s reputation to save their political skin. He dared Revanth Reddy to resign from the post, if he could not run the State.

“Don’t drag it through the mud with your lies. Revanth Reddy’s remarks are not just irresponsible, but unforgivable,” he said, reiterating that Telangana was financially strong, but the Congress leadership was intellectually and morally bankrupt.

He said Revanth Reddy was behaving more like a cornered conspirator than a capable leader. He reminded that Revanth Reddy was the same man who was caught red-handed in the cash-for-vote scam. One could not expect such criminals to be treated with respect and banks might be turning him away considering his criminal past.

The BRS working president also lambasted Revanth Reddy for attempting to portray government employees as villains before the people of the State and mocking their just demands.

“This is the same community that stood on the frontlines during the Telangana movement, risking their careers. But Revanth Reddy, instead of honouring his poll promises, is vilifying them,” he said.

He reminded that the Congress had promised to merge the TGRTC with the government, implement pending DAs, clear supplementary bills, abolish CPS, implement new PRC, and ensure salaries were paid on the first of every month.

“Today, those employees are only asking for what was promised,” he said, pointing out the irony of a government that was ready to splurge Rs 250 crore on a beauty pageant but had no money for pensions or retirement benefits for its employees.

Questioning the Chief Minister’s repeated claims of financial bankruptcy, Rama Rao presented official data on the healthy financial condition of Telangana.

“When Telangana was formed in 2014, the revenue was Rs 51,000 crore. By 2023-24, under BRS, it rose to Rs 2.16 lakh crore. The State had a revenue surplus of Rs 4,882 crore last year. The RBI has clearly stated that Telangana’s monthly debt servicing is around Rs 2,000 crore, not Rs 10,000 crore as the Chief Minister falsely claims. Even the Centre clarified in Parliament that Telangana ranks 24th out of 28 states in debt-to-GSDP ratio,” he explained.

The former Minister added that BRS borrowed to create infrastructure and irrigation assets, while Congress had taken Rs 1.7 lakh crore in 16 months without completing a single project.

“If the State is earning Rs.18,000 crore per month now, as Revanth himself admitted, what has he done in the last 16 months to improve revenues?” he asked.

He also exposed alleged corruption involving the Chief Minister’s family. “While the Congress government failed to bring in a single industrial investment, Revanth’s relatives and benamis are buying thousands of acres. His brother signed MoUs to invest Rs 1,000 crore, and his son-in-law is seeking for land to start a pharma company. Is this what people voted for?” he questioned.

Rama Rao said Congress had not just failed on governance, but also had succeeded in peddling false propaganda. “In 2023, Congress claimed BRS took Rs 6 lakh crore loans. Yesterday, Revanth Reddy said it was Rs 8.29 lakh crore. What is the truth? The actual number is Rs 4.17 lakh crore over 10 years, and even that includes low-risk, government-guaranteed loans,” he said.

Calling the Congress manifesto a 420-document, the BRS working president said the party never expected to win and hence made absurd promises. He stated that after winning, the Congress leaders were looking for excuses.

“Instead of standing by the people, Revanth Reddy is standing in Delhi every other week. He visited Delhi 43 times in chartered flights, but claims to be travelling in economy class in flights. His Ministers are using helicopters as if they are share autos, even for short distances,” he said.