Congress Attacks RTC, Power Tariff Hikes Again

TPCC vice-president Mallu Ravi alleged that the TRS government, which assured that it would transform Telangana into a "Bangaru Telangana", had transformed it into a "Baadhala Telangana" (pain-filled Telangana).

Speaking to the media at the CLP office on Friday, Ravi said that the TRS government was causing more pain to the already harassed people by increasing the bus fares and power tariff.

The TRS had come to power by giving several assurances on the eve of the elections, but had not fulfilled even a single one, he alleged. It had also assured that there wouldn't be any tax burden while introducing the budget, but now increased the bus fares and power tariff, he said.

"Telangana was a rich State when it was formed, but fell into a Rs 1 lakh crore debt trap due to the erratic handling by the TRS government. After excise and other taxes have been increased, why is the TRS increasing the tariffs, too?" he asked.

The TRS government had burdened the people by Rs 1,800 crores by increasing the power and RTC tariffs, he said. It had also failed to provide essential goods to the people, and had increased the prices of petrol and diesel, too. And it was supporting contractors, looters and big businessmen at the cost of the common man, he alleged, allocating crores of rupees for unimportant works but not spending a rupee on the schemes that actually benefited the people.

"The TRS government should know how the previous Congress government provided free power to the farmers for 10 years," he said, and asked the Congress cadre to take up protest programs at the Collectorates following the call given by TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy.

Pointing out that former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's government fell when he had increased the power tariff, Ravi said that the people would teach a fitting lesson to the TRS government, too.