Hyderabad: BRS Working President and former minister K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) on Thursday challenged Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to prove that the Congress government had implemented a 100% loan waiver anywhere in the state. Speaking in the Assembly, KTR stated that if complete loan waiver could be demonstrated in any village, whether in his constituency Sircilla or Revanth Reddy’s Kodangal, he would resign immediately. Furthermore, he declared that he would retire from politics permanently if proven wrong.
KTR alleged that development in Telangana had stagnated since the Congress came to power. He asserted that farmers, unemployed youth, women, and students were dissatisfied, accusing the government of failing to fulfill its promises. He emphasized that under the BRS administration, Telangana achieved rapid progress, attributing this to former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s (KCR) governance model, which integrated welfare and strategic development. According to KTR, innovative policy implementation had significantly improved the state’s economic and social landscape.
Refuting allegations that Telangana was burdened with excessive debt, KTR argued that the state’s economic growth between 2014 and 2022 demonstrated its financial stability. He questioned the Congress government’s claims, asking whether Telangana’s wealth could have increased without structured economic policies over the past decade. He highlighted that the state’s average revenue had grown from Rs 3,500 crore at the time of its formation to Rs 18,000 crore, asserting that wealth generation had exceeded borrowing.
Drawing a global comparison, KTR pointed out that even advanced economies like the United States operate with debt, stating that no country or state is entirely debt-free. Addressing the Assembly, he posed a rhetorical question, “Is there anyone in this House who is completely debt-free?” In response, Finance Minister Bhatti Vikramarka replied, “I have no debts.” KTR, amused by the response, remarked, “That’s great, Bhatti garu! As Finance Minister, that is how it should be.” His comment elicited laughter in the House.