Former Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA T. Harish Rao said the two different figures revealed in the Telangana Assembly on the loan repayment by the government showcases how the House was misled.
Mr. Rao said that Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka revealed in the Assembly that the Congress government spent ₹88,564 crore to repay loans during its 16-month rule while making a statement in the evening.
However, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, speaking a few hours earlier in the Assembly, claimed that ₹1,53,359 crore was paid towards debts and interest. “This contradiction within a few hours exposes the inconsistency in their claims,” he said.
CAG report supports Deputy CM’s numbers
Mr. Rao said that even the Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s (CAG) report of the State for the financial year 2023-24, tabled in the Assembly supported the numbers mentioned by Mr. Vikramarka “It is clear that Mr. Vikramarka, as Finance Minister, spoke the truth, whereas the Chief Minister inflated figures by including corporation borrowings as well.”
He said that Mr. Vikramarka announced an allocation of ₹15,000 crore for the Rythu Bharosa scheme in the [2025-26] budget. However, only ₹4,500 crore had been spent. “This means ₹11,000 crore has effectively been cut from the scheme, causing deep injustice to farmers. Similarly, while the government promised ₹31,000 crore for loan waivers, it allocated only ₹20,000 crore,” he added.
Published – March 28, 2025 12:50 pm IST
