Hyderabad: Former minister T Harish Rao alleged that the Congress government was not releasing funds for welfare schemes, citing financial constraints, but was spending huge amounts on luxury facilities such as camp office construction and publicity events. “While BRS sacrificed positions for Telangana, Revanth Reddy has built his political career on deception,” he remarked.
Harish Rao said the BRS, which transformed Telangana during its decade in power, would continue to serve as a strong opposition and stand with every section facing injustice. He participated as chief guest at the BRS membership enrolment and SIR awareness meeting held in Husnabad on Wednesday.
Allegations on Farmer Welfare
Harish Rao alleged that farmers were being betrayed on multiple fronts. He said Rythu Bharosa payments remained pending even after 85 days, and Rythu Bhima had effectively stopped for the last five months. He also claimed that procurement centres were imposing deductions on paddy, and the government was steadily reducing the number of paddy varieties eligible for bonus payments.
Commission Mode Governance
He further alleged that while fee reimbursement payments for poor students were being delayed, contractors continued to receive payments because commissions were involved. “This is not Mission Mode but Commission Mode governance,” he said, alleging corruption in welfare schemes and procurement systems.
SIR and Electoral Rolls
Referring to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Harish Rao urged party workers to remain vigilant and ensure that genuine voters are not excluded from the electoral process. He said party representatives should actively assist voters during family grouping and voter registration exercises and coordinate with Booth Level Officers. He stressed that every vote matters and called upon party workers to ensure that the names of KCR supporters and BRS sympathisers remain intact in the voter lists.
Broken Promises
Harish Rao said people were misled by the false promises made by the Congress during the last elections, and that the true nature of the Congress government was now becoming evident. He alleged that despite claiming to allocate ₹2,730 crore under the ST sub-plan, the government spent only ₹52 crore, primarily on salaries and electricity bills. He further claimed that not a single tribal youth benefited from meaningful employment opportunities under the present government and pointed out that there is no tribal minister in the present cabinet.
Failure of Welfare Schemes
He accused the Congress government of failing Dalits despite allocating ₹5,403 crore to the SC corporation, stating that not a single deserving beneficiary had received a loan. Likewise, he alleged that ₹1,370 crore allocated to the BC Corporation remained unspent, and welfare measures for backward classes existed only on paper.
Harish Rao said the BRS had introduced welfare programmes for shepherds, fishermen, handloom workers, and toddy tappers, whereas the Congress government had discontinued or weakened many of these initiatives. He alleged that handloom workers lost uniform and Bathukamma saree orders after the government shifted contracts to outside corporate entities.
