Harish Rao reiterates BRS stand on borrowings, seeks Assembly debate
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA and former Finance Minister T. Harish Rao on Saturday reiterated that the BRS government had borrowed only about ₹4.17 lakh
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA and former Finance Minister T. Harish Rao on Saturday reiterated that the BRS government had borrowed only about ₹4.17 lakh crore, including loans raised by State government-guaranteed corporations during its 10-year tenure, and challenged the Congress government to convene the Assembly for a discussion on the issue. “I stand by this figure and am prepared to debate the issue anywhere, including on the floor of the State Assembly,” he asserted while addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan.
Rao said the BRS would print booklets, if needed, outlining the State’s borrowings and infrastructure assets created under the BRS government to counter the ‘smear campaign’ by the ruling Congress. The former Minister alleged that the Congress government was repeatedly attempting to discredit the BRS regime to divert public attention from its failure to implement the six guarantees. “If we go by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, the borrowings were ₹4,10,819 crore. Even the White Paper presented in the Assembly in December 2023 by Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka stated the figure at about ₹4.17 lakh crore,” Mr. Rao said.
Referring to recent statements by the Finance Minister, Mr. Rao alleged that the government was presenting inflated figures regarding the debt accumulated during the BRS tenure. “The Finance Minister has once again claimed that the BRS government’s debt over ten years was ₹8,21,651 crore. However, the outstanding loans inherited at the time of Telangana’s formation in 2014 and loans raised after the Congress came to power have also been included in the figures attributed to the BRS government,” he claimed.
The BRS leader further alleged irregularities in Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and challenged the government to order an inquiry into the allegations raised by his party. He also criticised the decision to order a vigilance probe into the alleged coal scam, claiming that such an exercise would not uncover the facts.
The BriefWire