Congress ridicules KCR's logic of spending on welfare

Hyderabad: Former Minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir has ridiculed the logic used by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to claim that the TRS government spent more on the welfare of SCs, STs, BCs and Minorities compared to previous Congress government.

"CM KCR made a statement in the Assembly claiming that the TRS government has spent Rs 74,165 crore in the last seven years on the welfare compared to the Rs 21,663 crore by the Congress regime from 2004 to 2014. This is completely illogical, irrational and ridiculous method of comparing the spending done in different periods of time," Shabbir Ali said in a media statement here on Saturday.

He said that the budget figures could not be taken at face value as they depend on several factors. The first budget of Independent India, presented by the then Finance Minister RK Shanmukham Chetty, was earmarked at Rs 197.39 crore and this year (2021-22) budget's size is Rs 34.83 lakh crore. Normally budget increases every year due to increase in revenues and other sources, he noted and said that it's ridiculous for CM KCR to compare the figures of 2004-2014 with 2014-2021. Telangana was a budget-surplus State with annual revenue of over Rs 1 lakh crore at the time of its formation in 2014. But within seven years, TRS government has pushed the State into debt trap of over Rs 4 lakh crore, he pointed out.

Informing that the overall allocations for the welfare of SC, ST, BC and Minorities in the last seven years were of nearly Rs 1.50 lakh crore, he asked the CM to explain why only Rs 74,165 crore or less than 50% of the allocated amount was spent. Shabbir Ali criticised that CM KCR lives in an illusionary world wherein he assumes that whatever he promised has been implemented. "KCR makes huge promises, extends benefits to 1-2% of people and then uses those pictures as publicity material to create hype that he has fulfilled the promise. He did the same thing with the promises on jobs, 2BHK, KG to PG free education and now doing the same thing with Dalit Bandhu scheme," he said.

Shabbir Ali said the policies and schemes of previous Congress regimes were aimed at empowering SC, ST, BC, minorities and other weaker sections. He said the beneficiaries of Congress schemes later became proud citizens and tax-payers by becoming doctors, engineers and other professionals.