Telangana politics is heating up fast, with the ruling Congress, Opposition BRS and BJP now openly challenging each other to public debates on debt, corruption, tenders and central funds.
What began as a war of words has now turned into a full-blown political showdown, with all three major parties claiming they are ready to expose their rivals before the people.
The latest fight erupted after the BRS accused the Congress government of causing a multi-crore loss to the state exchequer by allegedly favouring certain companies in tenders linked to Gurukul schools for SC and ST students.
Congress dismissed the allegations as baseless and hit back by accusing the previous KCR government of pushing Telangana into a massive financial crisis.
The BJP, meanwhile, jumped into the battle and accused both Congress and BRS of failing to properly utilise central funds.
Gun Park Turns Into Political Battleground
The political drama intensified on July 2 when four Telangana ministers — Ponnam Prabhakar, Adluri Laxman, Mohd Azharuddin and Jupally Krishna Rao — reached the Martyrs’ Memorial at Gun Park in Hyderabad, challenging BRS leaders to a debate.
BRS leaders T Harish Rao and R S Praveen Kumar also attempted to reach Gun Park from Telangana Bhavan but were stopped by Hyderabad police.
A day later, the BJP entered the ring, claiming it could defeat both Congress and BRS in any public debate.
Congress Throws Rs 8.2 Lakh Crore Challenge
Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao has challenged BRS working president K T Rama Rao to bring his father and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for a debate on Telangana’s finances.
Jupally claimed that the previous BRS government left behind a total financial burden of Rs 8.21 lakh crore when it lost power in December 2023.
He even offered to resign if the BRS proves his figures wrong.
“I challenge KTR to ask KCR to prove this financial record wrong. If they establish that my calculations are incorrect, I will resign,” Jupally said.
According to him, Telangana’s direct government debt increased from Rs 84,268 crore in 2014 to Rs 5,16,881 crore by December 2023.
He also cited pending bills, power-sector dues, unpaid commitments and other liabilities to argue that the total burden crossed Rs 8.2 lakh crore.
Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy has also backed the figures.
TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud said the debate was necessary because people should know how the BRS allegedly “looted the state” and pushed it into debt.
BRS Fires Back, Demands Assembly Debate
The BRS has rejected the Congress claims outright.
KTR, Harish Rao and other party leaders maintain that Telangana was not in a financial mess when KCR left office in 2023.
They claim a CAG report showed outstanding debt at around Rs 2.8 lakh crore.
KTR has challenged Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to convene a special Assembly session and debate the issue on the floor of the House.
He accused Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka of misleading the public with “contradictory and fabricated” financial figures.
The BRS has also stepped up allegations over Gurukul tenders involving groceries, uniforms, footwear, notebooks and other supplies, calling it a major scam.
It is also demanding debates on what it calls the Congress government’s failed promises to farmers, women and Dalits.
BRS leader R S Praveen Kumar said the public should know how the Congress government was allegedly misleading people and looting the state.
BJP Says: We Will Expose Both
The BJP has now positioned itself as the third challenger in the political slugfest.
State BJP president N Ramchander Rao said his party was ready to set the stage and expose both Congress and BRS before Telangana voters.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar also dared both parties to debate Telangana’s debt, Gurukul tenders and the use of central funds.
He said the BJP would announce the date, time and venue and challenged leaders from both Congress and BRS to attend.
The BJP wants a debate on funds allocated to Telangana by the Narendra Modi government, welfare schemes implemented by the Centre and how much of that money was actually utilised by successive state governments.
With Congress attacking KCR’s debt legacy, BRS targeting Revanth Reddy over alleged scams and the BJP promising to expose both, Telangana politics has now entered a new phase.
The big question is no longer who is ready to debate.
It is whether any of the three parties will actually sit on the same stage and face each other.
