It's A 40% Commission Budget: KTR

BRS working president K T Rama Rao today slammed the Congress government's latest budget for the State, calling it a complete betrayal of Telangana's people, who, he claimed, were left with "zero gains".

He described the budget as a reflection of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's inefficiency, incompetence and administrative failure, and accused the government of drowning the hopes of four crore people who trusted and voted for them.

He labelled the budget a "40% commission budget" that prioritised political greed over public welfare, and vowed that the BRS would fiercely oppose it.

KTR alleged that the Congress had derailed Telangana's progress that had been built over a decade under the BRS rule, and was more focused on sending bags of money to Delhi than fulfilling promises made to the State.

He accused the Congress government of unfulfilled promises and financial mismanagement, and criticised it for "failing" to implement the party's much-hyped six guarantees within 100 days, reducing them to a hollow chant of "Govinda Govinda".

He said that three key promises remained unfulfilled despite the Congress completing 15 months in office: Rs 2,500 monthly aid under the Mahalakshmi scheme for women; Rs 4,000 pensions for the elderly, and the promised "tula of gold" for women.

He also claimed that while the BRS government borrowed Rs 4.17 lakh crore over 10 years, the Congress had already borrowed Rs 1.6 lakh crore in just one year with no new projects or schemes to justify the debt, and mocked its "trillion-dollar economy" as "trillion-dollar debt".

Blaming Revanth Reddy's "negative policies" for a Rs 73,000 crore drop in the State's revenue, KTR asked why the "realistic budget" touted by Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka failed to meet expectations despite the CM himself acknowledging the revenue decline.

The BRS leader also accused the Congress of neglecting key sectors and betraying every section of society.

"Over 100 suicides have been linked to the free bus scheme, yet the Auto Drivers' Welfare Board is absent from the budget, leaving eight lakh auto drivers in distress. Rahul Gandhi's promise of two lakh jobs in the first year remains unfulfilled, and the government's claims of appointment letters being issued are all for notifications issued under the BRS rule. The allocation for weavers has plummeted from Rs 1,200 crore under KCR to Rs 370 crore. There was no mention of a PRC or the five pending DAs for government employees, despite promises to offer more than KCR's 73% fitment. Farmer loan waivers also remain incomplete, and the promised Rs 12,000 aid for farm labourers has not materialised. The Congress can't show even one village where the waiver was fully implemented - if it does, I'm ready for any punishment it decides," he said.

KTR also claimed that the government had cheated the marginalised communities by undercounting the BC representation in the caste census, and ignoring the promises of sheep distribution for Yadavs, 25% reservation in liquor shops for Gouds, and Rs 12 lakh aid under the Ambedkar Abhaya Hastam for dalits.

"And under Revanth Reddy's municipal administration, Hyderabad has become a ruined city with stalled projects and deteriorating infrastructure. Government hospitals lack basic medicines. And despite 83 student deaths in existing Gurukuls, the government boasts about setting up new ones, which is shameful," he added.

The BRS leader also accused the Congress government of corruption, and said, "The Congress is using the Musi project as a front for looting funds, escalating from a 20% to a 40% commission regime. The government is also planning to distribute Rs 6,000 crore to Congress workers like jaggery and dal."

The BRS working president also demanded that the government stop sending money to Delhi and start addressing real issues, and warned it that Telangana's people would not tolerate their wealth being handed over to Delhi.

He concluded by calling the budget a "graveyard of welfare and an address-less blueprint for development".