KCR Took ₹57.84L Salary, Attended 2 Days: Revanth

Delivering a fiery two-and-a-half-hour speech while replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address, he chided Rao’s glaring absence from Assembly sessions. He pointed out that despite drawing a staggering ₹57.84 lakh in salary and allowances over the past 15 months, Rao had attended sessions for a mere two days.

Reddy lambasted the former chief minister for being the only legislator to brazenly skip Assembly proceedings. He had also failed to make a single field visit to address public concerns, even as he pocketed hefty payments from the government in the last 15 months.

Sharpening his attack, Revanth Reddy slammed Chandrashekar Rao for prioritising his “stature” over the state’s welfare, taking direct aim at BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao’s recent defence of his father’s absence stating that “Revanth lacked the ‘stature’ of KCR and that’s why there was no need for the latter” to attend the Assembly.

“What is the use of a stature that fails to recognise good as good? Those obsessed with their stature have no regard for the state’s future,” Revanth Reddy declared.

The Chief Minister defended his recent “mortuary” remarks, clarifying that his statement was directed at the BRS and not its president.

“I said that by defeating the BRS in the Assembly polls, people had already put them on a stretcher, and if they don’t mend their ways, they will be sent to the mortuary soon. The people reinforced this by reducing BRS to a ‘big zero’ in the Lok Sabha elections. Nowhere did I imply that KCR would be sent to the mortuary,” he asserted.

Revanth Reddy said Chandrashekar Rao seems to be deriving pleasure from incidents like the SLBC tunnel collapse and farmers’ struggles due to natural calamities. He said that his government was upholding the true spirit of the Constitution, unlike the previous BRS regime, which held a budget session in 2022 without a Governor’s address, an act that was ‘an insult’ to the Governor.

Revanth Reddy criticised BRS leaders for misinterpreting Governor Jishnu Dev Varma’s address and misleading the public. He asserted that the Governor’s speech only contained issues approved by the state cabinet, underscoring his government’s commitment to implement poll promises.

He accused Chandrasekhar Rao of failing to protect Telangana’s water interests. He blamed the BRS for agreeing that 299 TMC ft of water in Krishna was sufficient for the state and signing what he termed was a “permanent death warrant” for Telangana. He flayed Chandrshekar Rao for remaining silent while Andhra Pradesh enhanced the Pothireddypadu project’s capacity, which adversely impacted Telangana.

He also alleged that in his greed for commissions from contractors, Chandrashekar Rao had reduced Jurala project’s capacity and had diverted water to Srisailam, thereby depriving Telangana of necessary irrigation resources. He linked the SLBC project delay to the recent tunnel collapse, blaming the BRS government for not completing the project in a decade.

Revanth Reddy challenged Chandrashekar Rao for a debate on the disputes stemming from Krishna river in the Assembly. He said that he would apologise on the floor of the house if he was proven wrong.

He found fault with Chandrashekar Rao for enjoying fish curry at YSRC leader Roja’s residence when he was chief minister and making statements to turn Rayalaseema as “Ratanala Seema” while neglecting Palamuru projects in Telangana, which were crucial for Telangana’s water security.

Revaanth Reddy invited suggestions from Chandrashekar Rao based on his experience but criticised the BRS for prioritising commissions and political alliances over people’s welfare. He reiterated his belief that Telangana’s people had opted for a change after a decade of what he called “dictatorship and destruction.”

“I have no objection to welcoming Rao to the Assembly if he is willing to offer constructive suggestions. But if BRS leaders continue to defend their past failures, they will only alienate themselves further from the people,” he asserted.

The Chief Minister expressed confidence in his government’s future, stating that the Congress party would continue to rule Telangana for the next 30 years while BRS and Chandrashekar Rao would stay out in the opposition.

Touching upon the employment situation, he highlighted that his government had provided 57,924 government jobs within a year and had reduced the unemployment rate from 22.9 per cent to 18.1 per cent.

Highlighting the government’s pro-farmer policies, Reddy pointed out that Telangana's economy depends heavily on agriculture. He stated that the Congress government had a track-record of waiving crop loans worth Rs 20,624 crore in a single stroke, and thereby relieving farmers from debt.

Revanth Reddy decried the BRS government;s move to stop release of rythu bandhu benefits in 2023 under the pretext of the Assembly election code. In contrast, his government had released Rs 7,625 crore and deposited it within three months after coming to power. He said that the rythu bharosa benefit was enhanced to Rs 12,000 per acre per year against the Rs 10,000 rythu bandhu benefit extended by the BRS government.

To support the landless poor, the Congress government is providing Rs 12,000 annually under the Indiramma Atmiya Bharosa scheme. The government has also given Rs 1,206 crore bonus to farmers and had produced 1.56 crore metric tonnes of paddy without relying on the Kaleshwaram project. Additionally, a farmers' commission has been established to address farmers’ grievances.

The Chief Minister highlighted his government’s efforts in social welfare and employment generation. He pointed out that they had provided free bus travel to women, subsidised cooking gas at Rs 500 per cylinder, and ensured 200 units of free electricity for poor households.

Revanth Reddy condemned the BRS government for shutting down 5,000 schools and assured that his government was empowering women by awarding school uniform stitching contracts to self-help groups.

He also announced distribution of 30 crore high-quality saris to women’s groups, replacing the poor-quality Bathukamma saris that were distributed by the BRS government earlier.