BRS working president Rama Rao emphasised that the economic progress made under Chandrashekhar Rao’s leadership was well-documented, citing the rise in per capita income and Telangana’s contribution to India’s GDP
Published Date – 22 February 2025, 04:54 PM
Hyderabad: Coming down heavily on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for his outrageous claims about Telangana’s economic status during the 10-year rule of the State’s first Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Saturday asserted that neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts nor Rahul Gandhi’s numerous Jodo Yatras could bring about the kind of development Telangana had witnessed during the BRS regime.
Addressing a news conference at Telangana Bhavan, Rama Rao took strong exception to the Congress claims of an economic downturn in the State during the BRS rule. Expressing his readiness for a discussion in the Assembly on Telangana’s economic progress, he highlighted that Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka had already presented factual reports refuting Revanth Reddy’s allegations.
Citing the State Statistical Abstract report released by the government, which contradicted Revanth Reddy’s claims, Rama Rao remarked that for the last 15 months, every Congress leader, including Revanth Reddy, was relentlessly spreading false propaganda about Telangana’s economic progress, likening them to the heirs of German propagandist Joseph Goebbels. He thanked Bhatti Vikramarka for his comprehensive report that helped in refuting Revanth Reddy’s lies.
Rama Rao emphasised that the economic progress made under Chandrashekhar Rao’s leadership was well-documented, citing the rise in per capita income and Telangana’s contribution to India’s GDP. He noted that Telangana’s per capita income increased from Rs 86,000 in 2014 to Rs 3,56,564 in 2023. In comparison, India’s per capita income rose from Rs 1,69,496 to Rs 1,84,205 during the same period.
Rama Rao criticised Revanth Reddy for his misleading statements about Telangana’s debt and economic situation, stating that the government under the leadership of Chandrashekhar Rao left a surplus budget.
He accused Revanth Reddy of mismanaging State’s finances and causing a real downturn in revenue. Sectors like Stamps and Registrations were now falling short of their targets. He said the State had witnessed a decline in IT exports, industrial expansion and agricultural productivity, attributing these failures to Revanth Reddy’s ineffective policies.
He called for Revanth Reddy to stop maligning Chandrashekhar Rao and instead focus on working for the welfare of the people. In an era defined by rapid industrial and agricultural expansion, Telangana had risen to the occasion, substantially increasing electricity consumption in households, a clear indicator of the State’s growth.
Despite constituting just 2.8 per cent of the country’s population, Telangana contributed a significant 5.1 per cent to the national wealth. Under the leadership of Chandrashekhar Rao, the State created immense wealth over the past decade, an undeniable truth acknowledged by all. The Congress government has invested Rs 26,056 crore in various development schemes in the last 10 months.
Quoting RBI reports, he said during the ten years of Chandrashekhar Rao’s tenure as Chief Minister, Telangana emerged as a leader with 88 per cent of State’s own tax revenue sourced independently, without relying on the Centre.
The report highlights that the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Telangana was Rs 5 lakh crore in 2014. However, according to the report released by Bhatti Vikramarka, the State’s GSDP rose from Rs 5 lakh crore to Rs 15 lakh crore in 10 years, clearly showcasing a commendable achievement.
He said the reports indicate that Telangana’s GSDP was in a better position than that of Gujarat. This was a clear answer to those who belittled projects like Kaleshwaram and Mission Kakatiya. The report also credits the increase in wealth to welfare schemes like Rythu Bandhu, along with irrigation projects like Kaleshwaram and Mission Kakatiya.
In 2014, paddy cultivation was done in 34 lakh acres, yielding 68 lakh tonnes of paddy. By the time Chandrashekhar Rao stepped down as Chief Minister, paddy cultivation had expanded to 1 crore 18 lakh acres, yielding 2 crore 60 lakh tonnes of paddy. The growth in agriculture, facilitated by projects like Kaleshwaram and Mission Kakatiya, is evident from these statistics.
When Telangana was formed, IT exports stood at Rs 57,000 crore and by 2023, they had risen to Rs 2,41,000 crore. In 2014, 3,23,000 employees were working in the IT sector. By the time the BRS government stepped down, this number had tripled, with 10 lakh people employed in the IT sector.