Telangana’s opposition party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), has sharply criticized Chief Minister Revanth Reddy over his recent admissions of a ₹71,000 crore revenue shortfall, struggles to pay salaries and allowances, and a lack of funds for capital expenditure.
The BRS questioned the Congress government’s decision to spend ₹200 crore on hosting the Miss World pageant amid these financial challenges.
On Tuesday, BRS lawmakers staged protests during the annual budget session in the Assembly. Holding dried crops, they accused the Congress of causing a “man-made drought” and demanded ₹25,000 per acre in compensation for affected farmers.
BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) strongly opposed the event, calling out the Congress for its “perverse logic.”
He pointed out that while the ruling party is prosecuting him over alleged irregularities in a ₹46 crore Formula-E race scam, it is now justifying a much larger expenditure on a beauty pageant.
“Spending ₹46 crore on a Formula-E race in Hyderabad was wrong and invited cases, but spending ₹200 crore of public money on Miss World is right? What kind of logic is this? Can you explain, Rahul Gandhi?” KTR asked on social media.
KTR further criticized the Congress for its contradictory claims about Telangana’s economy.
“The government wants us to believe all is well, but if that’s true, why did the Chief Minister admit to negative growth and a ₹71,000 crore deficit? Is Telangana rising or falling?” he asked.
The BRS also took a more measured stance through its spokesperson Krishank, who accused the Congress of “double standards and hypocrisy,” referencing the Formula-E corruption allegations against KTR.
BRS leaders have been vocal about what they see as the Congress’ financial mismanagement, blaming the ruling party for prioritizing election promises and freebies over economic stability.
KTR alleged that the Congress has drained Telangana’s finances to fulfill unrealistic guarantees made before the 2023 elections.
In response, CM Revanth Reddy countered the criticism by blaming his predecessor, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, for bankrupting Telangana.
He claimed the previous BRS government left behind a massive public debt, requiring ₹1.53 lakh crore in monthly interest payments.
“If such a huge amount had been saved, this government could have built houses for all and waived farm loans for another 70 lakh people,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, who also serves as the Finance Minister, stated that the government is working to clear financial backlogs, with ₹10,000 crore in dues already settled.
Notably, this marks the second consecutive year India is hosting the Miss World pageant, following the 2024 edition in Mumbai, where Czechia’s Krystyna Pyszkova was crowned the winner.
