In a sharp escalation of political tensions in Telangana, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao launched a scathing attack on the ruling Congress government. He alleged that the state administration is resorting to intimidation tactics by threatening party-backed local body representatives and deliberately stalling crucial funds meant for gram panchayats.
Allegations of Political Intimidation and Fund Blockade
Addressing a gathering of newly elected sarpanches, upa-sarpanches, and ward members from Khanapur and Shadnagar constituencies at Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday, KTR outlined a concerning pattern. He stated that the Congress government is using financial leverage to pressure local leaders aligned with the BRS. KTR emphatically declared that funds allocated for gram panchayats and welfare schemes like Indiramma houses are public money, not the personal property of Congress leaders.
"We are witnessing a disturbing trend where MLAs are threatening both the electorate and elected representatives," KTR said. He made it clear that developmental funds and housing schemes are not a personal inheritance or 'jagir' (fiefdom) of any political leader. "They are merely trustees of public wealth. The constitutional authority to identify beneficiaries rests with the gram sabhas and sarpanches," he added, reinforcing the decentralized mandate of the Panchayati Raj system.
Mocking Congress's Financial State and Promising BRS Return
KTR further mocked the financial health of the Congress administration, claiming a state of desperation. He pointed out that several Congress MLAs were reportedly writing to international bodies like the World Bank or pleading for funds in public. "When MLAs themselves are cash-strapped, their claims of 'granting' funds to villages ring hollow," he remarked. He reminded leaders that they are spending taxpayers' money, not disbursing personal assets.
Exuding confidence about his party's comeback, KTR told the newly elected local body representatives, "You have a five-year mandate. While the Congress government may last another two to two-and-a-half years, the BRS will return to power." He assured them that they would serve the latter part of their term under the leadership of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, during which the pace of rural development would be restored.
Legal Support and Accusations on Reservation Cuts
The BRS leader also accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of betraying the Backward Classes (BCs). He alleged that the reservation quota for BCs in local bodies was reduced from 24% to 17%. KTR contended that the hurry to conduct the gram panchayat elections was primarily to access Rs 3,500 crore from the Finance Commission. He stressed that by law, 70% of these funds must be directly devolved to the gram panchayats, and no chief minister or MLA has the legal authority to obstruct this flow.
To empower local representatives against such alleged coercion, KTR announced concrete steps by the BRS. The party will establish legal cells in every district and organize training workshops to educate sarpanches about their constitutional rights, duties, and the protections available to them while discharging their official functions.
