iHyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka alleged that the previous BRS government left Telangana with a debt burden of ₹8,21,651 crore and challenged the opposition to dispute the figures.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat on Friday, the Deputy Chief Minister accused BRS leaders Harish Rao and K.T. Rama Rao of making baseless allegations about the state’s finances. Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Adluri Laxman Kumar also attended the press conference.
Bhatti Vikramarka defends debt restructuring
Bhatti Vikramarka questioned Harish Rao’s claim that the previous government had borrowed only ₹3 lakh crore. He asked why the state had repaid a much higher amount through Reserve Bank transactions if that claim was correct.
Furthermore, he alleged that the previous government had borrowed from corporate banks at interest rates of 10% to 10.5%. He said the present government had restructured the debt and reduced the repayment burden for 2025-26 to 2031-32 from ₹34,058 crore to ₹11,915 crore. According to him, the restructuring will save the state an estimated ₹22,142 crore.
The Deputy Chief Minister also alleged that the previous government had raised loans through corporations for projects such as Kaleshwaram and Mission Bhagiratha without reflecting those liabilities as government debt. He argued that taxpayers would ultimately bear the responsibility for repaying both the principal and interest.
Bhatti Vikramarka said the present government had released a White Paper on the state’s finances soon after assuming office. He added that the government had repaid ₹2,08,681 crore, including principal and interest, on loans raised by the previous administration within two and a half years.
Bhatti Vikramarka rejects Singareni, Gurukul allegations
The Deputy Chief Minister also rejected allegations made by the BRS regarding Singareni Collieries. He questioned whether the previous government had secured even one new coal block or replacement mining block for the company during its tenure.
Bhatt dismissed the BRS allegation that 40 lakh tonnes of coal had disappeared from Singareni. He claimed the company’s monitoring system was robust and prevented the illegal movement of coal.
Bhatti Vikramarka further alleged that the previous government had expanded the Bhadradri and Yadadri Thermal Power Projects without securing coal mines to supply them. He questioned why it had not participated in the Centre’s coal block auctions, adding that Telangana could have earned royalty revenue if Singareni had acquired those mines.
The Deputy Chief Minister also criticised the opposition for spreading what he described as misinformation about welfare hostels and government welfare schemes. In addition, he rejected allegations of corruption in Gurukul procurement tenders. He said the tender value stood at ₹1,142 crore, while the opposition had made varying allegations of corruption worth ₹2,000 crore and later ₹3,000 crore.