Congress’s double standards: publicity blitz while exposing citizens’ private details

The Agriculture Department issued orders on March 5 to display lists in all gram panchayats, revealing names, bank branch details, and credited amounts – raising serious privacy concerns

Hyderabad: The Congress government in Telangana has come under fire for its contradictory stance on citizen data privacy and reckless public spending. While refusing to disclose the caste census details citing legal constraints, the government has now ordered the public display of beneficiaries’ personal information under the Crop Loan Waiver 2024 and Rythu Bharosa schemes.

The Agriculture Department issued orders on March 5 to display lists in all gram panchayats, revealing names, bank branch details, and credited amounts – raising serious privacy concerns. “How is it legal to publicly disclose citizens’ personal details without consent? The Supreme Court has ruled against such practices multiple times,” questioned a netizen and BRS supporter Nayini Anurag Reddy on social media.

Adding to the controversy, the Congress government released Rs 30 crore for flex banners to be displayed in three places of every village to publicise its schemes, benefiting private vendors at taxpayers’ expense. They stated that instead of putting the list on notice boards of every gram panchayat following increasing demand from farmers and the opposition parties to verify genuineness of beneficiaries, it would be unfair to spend such huge amount which could only benefit private vendors.

Several netizens questioned the irony of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s refusal to share the caste census report in the Assembly due to legal restrictions, while his government freely publishes beneficiary details. Revanth Reddy, who once opposed the BRS government’s publicity spending as TPCC president, now faces backlash for using public money to promote Congress-led schemes.