Nirmala Sitharaman questions Telangana’s water, funds, & appointment situation

Hyderabad: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed concerns about Telangana’s statehood objectives, questioning the status of water, funds, and appointments promised at its inception, alleging that the BRS government has fallen short in achieving these goals.

Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, Ms. Sitharaman stated, “Water, funds, appointments… Telangana’s aspirations have not been fulfilled. Telangana, formed with a surplus budget, has been turned into a state of debt.”

She criticised the KCR government’s failure in the construction of the Kaleshwaram project and pledged to investigate alleged corruption. Ms Sitharaman advocated for making a BC (Backward Class) leader the Chief Minister and reiterated the commitment to SC classification as promised by the Prime Minister. She expressed disappointment over the state government’s inability to leverage the skilled youth in a city like Hyderabad.

Highlighting concerns about the growing state debt burden, Ms Sitharaman touched upon the issue of unemployment benefits, farmer suicides during KCR’s rule, and the need for responsible governance.

She questioned the state’s literacy rate, noting that Telangana lags behind the national average, and raised doubts about the utilisation of funds allocated for the development of BCs.

Ms Sitharaman also highlighted the existence of 2,000 job openings in 11 universities in Telangana, stressing the importance of giving education the appropriate priority. She condemned BRS leaders for supposedly exploiting the Prime Minister for political critique and deemed the statements made by BRS leaders, claiming that the BJP will install meters on motors, as completely untrue.

The Union Finance Minister announced plans for the introduction of a bill on classification in the winter session of Parliament and asserted that the Ayodhya Ram Mandir would be inaugurated on January 22.

UNI