Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu dismissed claims by the opposition that the government was recklessly taking loans. On Friday, he clarified that the Congress government had paid ₹1,53,359 crore to clear the debts left by the previous BRS government, while the actual new loans taken by the state amounted to only ₹4,682 crore.
Speaking during a discussion on the annual budget in the Assembly, Bhatti explained various financial matters, including budget allocations, loan repayments, and government expenditures. He stated that the Congress government was paying for the financial mismanagement of the BRS government over the past ten years. Out of the ₹1,53,377 crore repaid, ₹88,591 crore was the principal amount, and ₹64,768 crore was interest. The remaining ₹4,682 crore was the only loan taken by the current government.
The Finance Minister criticized the BRS government for presenting unrealistic budgets. He pointed out that during BRS’s 10-year rule, budget figures were inflated, leading to significant unspent funds. For example, in 2014-15, the proposed budget was ₹1,00,638 crore, but only ₹62,306 crore was spent, leaving ₹38,332 crore unused. Similarly, in 2023-24, the proposed budget was ₹2,90,396 crore, but the actual spending was ₹2,31,825 crore, creating a gap of ₹58,571 crore.
He further explained that while the BRS government increased budget estimates by 20% every year, the Congress government only increased it by ₹1,000 crore, which is just 0.3%. He called the current budget a “realistic budget” and argued that if the Congress government had followed BRS’s pattern, the budget would have reached ₹3,48,457 crore.
Bhatti also accused the BRS government of poor financial management. Citing a CAG report, he claimed that between 2014 and 2021-22, BRS spent ₹2,89,115 crore without Assembly approval. Over ten years, the BRS government spent ₹16,70,711 crore but failed to undertake any significant developmental work. He described the financial situation under BRS as “economic anarchy.”
He further alleged that during its tenure, BRS leaders did not act democratically and often suppressed opposition voices. He claimed that opposition leaders faced house arrests when they tried to protest. Bhatti also dismissed BRS’s criticism regarding Krishna river water distribution, arguing that it was BRS’s mismanagement that allowed Andhra Pradesh to proceed with the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation project.
