BRS Apathy Drove Sarpanchs to Suicides: Sridhar Babu

Hyderabad: Industries minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu sharply criticised BRS leaders, questioning their recent protests alongside ex-sarpanchs, many of whom have faced severe financial strain because of the BRS maladministration.

"How can those responsible for the unpaid bills that drove 60 sarpanchs to suicide now protest as if they support them?" he wondered.

Sridhar Babu said that the excessive delay in clearing bills for rural projects had driven sarpanchs into debt.

"When local contractors were unwilling to take up small development works, sarpanchs stepped in and completed projects on their own, only to be financially burdened by those in power at the time," he stated, while accusing BRS leaders of diverting nearly Rs 1,300 crore intended for development of villages, leaving the sarpanches in distress.

“Many of them had to secure private loans against high-interest rates to complete community projects. The debts mounted as the bills were left pending by the BRS government for over 30 months,” he added.