Former Minister and BRS MLA T. Harish Rao said the government’s intention in releasing the white paper was to blame the previous government, conveniently hiding the robust economic growth achieved by the BRS government.
Initiating the discussion on the White Paper on Finances tabled by the government, he said it was not good for the State to project a negative image of Telangana by trying to score political points over the debts. The loans raised by the previous government should be seen as capital expenditure and contributed to the creation of assets that would continue to provide revenue for the State.
Mr. Harish Rao argued that it was not in the interests of Telangana to project it as a debt-ridden State and this would instil unknown fears among the investors ultimately hitting the State and its growth prospects. The repercussions would be disastrous in the long term if the government continues to project the finances negatively.
He also saw a clever move by the government to dilute the six promises made by the Congress party before the elections by releasing the white paper on debts. People would see this as an effort to move away from the promises.
Mr Harish Rao was repeatedly disrupted by the Ministers who took objection to his claims. When Mr. Harish Rao said that the financial status of any government cannot be measured in terms of money stacked in cupboards and the revenue and expenditure were a regular process, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar intervened to attack the BRS not to underestimate the intelligence of other MLAs or Ministers.
The former Minister was interrupted by Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, who asked was it not correct that Mr. Harish Rao himself signed agreements that the BRS government would repay the loans taken for the Kaleshwaram project and Mission Bhageeratha by commersialising the projects and charging the farmers and domestic users.
Mr. Harish Rao, however, continued the BRS government’s achievements on the economic front. He said the State had to mobilise its own resources with the Centre adopting a discriminatory approach towards Telangana. The COVID-19 pandemic also affected the State’s finances but the growth continued uninterrupted. He reminded that the BRS government had provided Rythu Bandhu even during the pandemic despite the financial crunch.
Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy intervened and said Mr. Harish Rao had inherited the ability to speak lies from his maternal uncle K. Chandrasekhar Rao. There is a belief in the society that the maternal uncle’s genes are inherited by their nephews and uttering of lies was an example, he charged.
Mr. Reddy also tried to corner Mr. Harish Rao saying he could never be the successor of KCR and he would be used by KCR’s family to ensure former Minister K.T. Rama Rao takes over the party and future political opportunities.
