Congress, BRS Lock Horns Over State Debt

The Telangana Assembly session today witnessed intense verbal duels between the ruling Congress and the opposition BRS, primarily centred on the State's debt burden.

The debate escalated during the discussion on Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) loans.

The session began with Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar presiding over the Question Hour. During this time, Deputy CM and Finance Minister Bhatti Vikramarka responded to a question posed by former BRS minister Harish Rao regarding FRBM loans.

Countering Vikramarka's claims, Rao said that the State's debt after the previous BRS administration had been exaggerated by the Congress. Refuting allegations of a Rs 7 lakh crore debt, he said that it stood at just Rs 4,17,486 crore.

He also accused the Congress government of borrowing Rs 1.27 lakh crore within just one year. Reminding the Assembly of the Congress' pre-election assurances about its expertise in revenue generation, he alleged that the government was now deflecting attention from its promises by blaming the debt.

Rao demanded a special discussion on the debt issue to get into the specifics.

In response, Vikramarka criticized the BRS for misleading the House. He said that the Congress government had already issued a white paper on the debt status. Alleging that the BRS had left Rs 40,000 crore in pending bills and failed to clear dues worth Rs 18,000 crore in civil supplies, he questioned the party's sudden concerns. He challenged the BRS to a debate on the State's financial situation, to which Rao readily agreed. Rao in fact insisted that the debt discussion be taken up immediately before the session concluded, citing discrepancies between the actual debts and figures presented by the government.

Further escalating the matter, Rao also urged the Speaker to allow the privilege motion filed against the Revanth Reddy-led government.