Bandi Dares BRS To Debate On Central Aid To State

Accusing the Bharat Rashtra Samithi of misleading the people on Central assistance to the State, Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Saturday challenged the ruling party leaders to an open debate on the issue.

Addressing the BJP booth committee functionaries at the State party office, Sanjay said that the BJP was ready for a debate on how much money the Centre had released to the State in the last eight years.

"We can produce whatever evidence you want in this regard. Ask your father to come prepared with his resignation letter," Sanjay told BRS working president K T Rama Rao.

Sanjay alleged that the BRS government was in fact diverting the Central funds for its purposes. "It has diverted Central funds released to gram panchayats and also under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme," he claimed.

Claiming that the people were in dire straits, the Telangana BJP president said that the BRS government had done nothing for them except pay pensions. "Even the so-called Rythu Bandhu assistance is not reaching the beneficiaries, as the banks are adjusting the amounts towards old dues of crop loans," he lamented.

Sanjay said the State government was earning a revenue of Rs 40,000 crore from liquor sales. Even after spending money on pensions and other welfare schemes, the government was still left with Rs 10,000 crore. "So where is the money going? Why is the government not disclosing the details of revenue and expenditure? Instead, it is trying to blame the Centre," he said.