Hyderabad: Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar urged Congress workers from Sirisilla district and the erstwhile district to attend Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s meeting in Sirisilla on September 30.
Prabhakar asked every party worker to participate in the programme. He said the Chief Minister would use the Sirisilla platform to communicate the government’s position on development and welfare.
The minister said the Telangana government had completed 33 months in office. According to him, the administration had prioritised farmers, workers and students.
He also said the government was focusing on infrastructure development. Hyderabad, he added, remained central to its plan for developing the state in all directions.
Prabhakar accused opposition parties of adopting divisive politics instead of acting responsibly. He particularly criticised BRS leaders over their response to adverse weather and other developments.
The minister said the government was working with a positive approach and a focus on public welfare. He also alleged that opposition parties were politicising the demand for central funds during drought-like conditions linked to El Nino.
Prabhakar said the Chief Minister would deliver a message from Sirisilla that could prompt the opposition to reconsider its approach. He added that the government would continue working despite the financial burden.
The minister claimed that the government had not imposed additional charges, electricity tariffs or other tax burdens on people. At the same time, he said the administration was continuing welfare programmes in agriculture, labour, education and healthcare.
Ponnam Prabhakar Sirisilla meeting to highlight welfare measures
Prabhakar said the government had retained welfare schemes introduced during the previous administration. Alongside them, he said, the administration had introduced new programmes.
He cited free bus travel for women as one measure. The minister also mentioned free electricity for households using up to 200 units and a ₹500 gas subsidy.
The government had distributed new ration cards and provided fine rice, Prabhakar said. Women’s self-help groups had also received interest-free loans ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
He further claimed that nearly 70,000 jobs had been filled for unemployed people. These measures, he said, formed part of the government’s broader welfare programme.
Prabhakar also criticised the opposition over its response to rainfall and welfare schemes. He alleged that some opposition leaders were pleased when rainfall failed and when court proceedings affected Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak.
According to the minister, political parties should work together to secure funds for Telangana during difficult weather conditions. He said people across the state were praying for good rainfall while the opposition was taking a negative approach.
Prabhakar urged the opposition to participate constructively in Telangana’s development. Instead, he alleged that its current approach was obstructing development.
He said the Chief Minister’s Sirisilla visit would underline the government’s focus on development and welfare. Prabhakar also claimed that the visit had created concern within the BRS about its future.
The minister expressed hope that opposition parties would change their approach in the future. He again appealed to Congress workers to attend the September 30 programme in large numbers.