Congress graph rising across country, says Bhatti

Responding to questions posed by media persons during an interaction at Gandhi Bhavan here, he said that in the recent elections held in Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand States, Congress candidates emerged victorious. He recalled that the BJP minister was defeated by the Congress candidate in Madhya Pradesh.

Bhatti made it clear that the Rythu Bharosa scheme would remain and at present an exercise was on to finalise the guidelines. Referring to BRS working president and former Minister KT Rama Rao’s (KTR) outburst against the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and the State government, Bhatti said that KTR was talking senselessly for the last few days.

“Can’t understand the why and what of his rants? What wrong did the Chief Minister or the Congress government do for KTR to speak in such a reckless manner. We are not ruling sitting in Gadis (palatial bungalows) away from people and we kept our doors wide open for the people. The People’s government is going forward by restoring freedom of expression and liberty to all,” he said.

Bhatti pointed out that the BRS promised three acres of land to Dalits and tribals and ruled the State for 10 years. He sought to know how many people they distributed the land.

“How can those who promised jobs for each household and failed to do so could criticise the Congress government. KTR who worked as Minister for 10 years should have minimum decency and etiquette and how could he describe a District Collector as a fool? That is why we think he is in a disturbed state of mind,” Bhatti added.

The Congress government is fulfilling its promises one by one. It implemented free RTC bus travel to women and the government on behalf of women is paying Rs.400 crore to the RTC every month. On free power upto 200 units, the government is paying Rs.150 crore a month and Bhumi Puja would be performed soon for the Indiramma houses, he explained.

The Congress government had credited Rs.18,000 crore into the accounts of farmers within 15 days under the loan waiver scheme and it was a feat unheard of in the country, he pointed out. The farm loans up to Rs.2 lakh were waived to all the families with ration cards and if some families were left out as they did not have ration cards, government has decided to conduct a survey and extend the loan waiver to those families too.

Bhatti criticised that people suffered as ration cards were not given for 10 years and the Congress government now decided to issue ration cards after streamlining the system but those who sat all these years in gadis were talking nonsense.

The BRS government has waived Rs.one lakh farm loans in four phases over a period of five years and the amount they gave was not even enough to pay the interest on loan. In the second term too, they did not implement the scheme properly but the BRS leaders have the audacity to criticise the Congress government which implemented the loan waiver scheme in an exemplary manner.

While the BRS government brought the State into a financial crisis and was not even in a position to pay salaries to government employees, Congress government credited Rs.18,000 crore into the accounts of farmers in 15 days. The BRS government pushed Telangana into a debt trap by increasing the debt burden enormously in 10 years and oppressed Telangana people who lived freely. They reintroduced feudal setup in their 10 year rule, he said.

Reacting to opposition’s criticism that Congress was dividing castes, Bhatti said that “we are not creating castes, they are existing for several centuries in the society”. Congress government is interested in knowing the population of different castes and whether all castes developed equally as per the Preamble of the Constitution through the caste census survey.

The batch of leaders who looted the State for all these years is now again looking for a chance to loot the State. They would not be comfortable if the caste census would bring out the factual data. The integrated household survey is taken up by the Congress government to give direction to the country and to take Telangana forward with progressive principles.

Expressing concern over the recent incidents in welfare and residential school hostels, Bhatti said that the government was quite serious about the incidents. The Chief Minister instructed the senior officials, Ministers, MLAs to personally supervise hostels and residential schools to ensure hygiene and quality supply of food.

The government recently increased mess charges by 40 per cent to provide quality and nutritious food. Bhatti described the results of Jharkhand State Assembly as a people's victory and collective effort of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

“We explained about the last five year rule of the INDIA Alliance and what we intend to do in the next five years and people there accepted it,” he said.

Describing all Congress Ministers as efficient workers, Bhatti said that they were not sitting in ‘Gadis’ and sending proposals to get funds from the Centre in 60:40 proportion through respective departments and making efforts for their release. Once funds are released, matching grants are released by the State to take up works.

Replying to a question, the Deputy Chief Minister said that they were not encouraging BRS MLAs to leave their party but they themselves were unable to fit in there and leaving in groups.

“Our government is with full clarity on our administration and it will go forward with welfare, development and progressive ideas as the agenda. We allocated Rs.10,000 crore for the development of Hyderabad and very soon inaugurations will be there on a large scale,” he said.

Bhatti disclosed that they were collecting details of 26 lakh acres of assigned lands distributed during the Congress regime and inquiring about their status after introduction of dharani portal. They will be again distributed to the eligible poor, he said.

He said that the role of opposition should be constructive in the coming Assembly session and it should give up its disruptive tactics. They want the Opposition to be present along with the ruling party and that is the wish of this government, he said.