Telangana suffered 100 years of destruction in 10 years of BRS rule, says Revanth

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday said that Telangana had suffered a hundred years of destruction during the last 10 years and the newly-formed Congress government had ended a decade of autocratic governance where the rulers wanted the people to lose their freedom and self-respect in exchange for welfare schemes.

Addressing the decennial celebrations of Telangana formation at Parade Ground in Secunderabad, Revanth Reddy said the Congress government offered democratic governance and gave freedom to all sections in the last six months. He said Telangana will be developed as a guiding force and a role model for the world.

"Telangana should prove that it competes not only with other states but also the world. Hyderabad is our brand. The city of Hyderabad should develop as the world's number one brand. My strong desire is to make Telangana a destination for the world," the CM said.

Revanth Reddy extended special gratitude to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on behalf of the Telangana community for fulfilling the long-cherished dream of a separate state after six decades.

"Freedom is very much part of Telangana's way of life. Telangana never tolerated bondage. Our philosophy is to spread love and question domination. We can endure hunger but we will not tolerate losing our freedom. As poet Dasarathi said Telangana is a humble community, but it revolts if it faces injustice. Telangana will not turn a blind eye if democracy is to be destroyed in the guise of welfare.”

The Chief Minister said the Congress government accorded first priority to the restoration of freedom in the “Praja Palana” (people’s rule), which started on December 7, 2023.

"Barbed fences and iron grills have been removed. Demolished the high-rise walls of Pragathi Bhavan standing between the rulers and the people. We introduced a regime which is accessible to the people from the municipal councillor to the Chief Minister. We proved that we are servants, and not rulers. Pragati Bhavan has been renamed as Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phule Praja Bhavan and opened its doors to the public.”

“We are conducting a Praja Vani programme every Tuesday and Friday at Praja Bhavan. The government listens directly to people's problems and addresses their grievances. Common man is also visiting the Secretariat. We lifted the ban on holding dharnas at Dharna Chowk at Indira Park. We have given freedom to the media and respect to the opposition," Revanth Reddy said.

He reiterated that Congress government's top priority is to deliver freedom, social justice and equal opportunities to the people.

"In the last 10 years, even fundamental freedom was assaulted. Social justice was denied. The wealth of the state, which should belong to all the people, has gone into the hands of a few. Telangana culture and traditions were destroyed. Economic destruction was visible." Revanth Reddy said.

He said the Congress government took two key decisions on cultural revival and economic revival. "These two are the key points to rebuild the destroyed Telangana state. Our government is taking steps in that direction."

The revival of the state economy is the need of the hour to increase the state’s wealth and distribute the same to the poor. The state economy was completely ruined in the last 10 years. The debt burden on the state was mounted to `7 lakh crore, he added.

"Besides strengthening the economic condition, the government will also give priority to welfare and development of the state. We are giving salaries to government employees and pensioners on the first day of every month," the Chief Minister said.

He announced the unveiling of "Green Telangana-2050 Master Plan" for the development of the state.

"We are dividing the state into three zones. The area within ORR is Urban Telangana and the area between the ORR and the Regional Ring Road (RRR) will be Suburban Telangana. Rural Telangana is defined as the area from the Regional Ring Road to the borders of Telangana state. Under the mega plan, the government will clearly announce where the development should take place in the three zones and what kind of infrastructure should be built," he added.

The Congress government envisaged plans to transform the river Musi catchment area into an employment generation zone through the Musi riverfront development project and had allocated `1,000 crore for it. The project will enhance the brand image of Hyderabad. There are three dimensions to this — tourism, economy and environment. The Musi project will also fetch irrigation needs of the erstwhile Rangareddy and Nalgonda districts, he said.

The government already announced the Metro Rail expansion plan to meet the growing transportation needs of the people. "We will try to complete the Regional Ring Road at the earliest. We are giving first priority to irrigation projects to provide more water at lower cost.

Revanth Reddy also mentioned about his government's crackdown against drugs, goal to make Telangana a 'drug-free state', implementation of five out of six guarantees within 100 days of coming to power, releasing job notifications (Group-1 and Mega DSC) to fill thousands of vacancies, recruiting 30,000 staff in various departments within 100 days.