Ministers refute Harish’s remarks on budget, call them ‘misleading’

Hyderabad: Taking strong exception to senior BRS leader T Harish Rao's remarks on the budget, deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka, along with ministers Seethakka and Jupally Krishna Rao, said the former minister was spreading false information about registration revenue and other issues. Intervening during Harish's budget speech in the assembly on Monday, Bhatti accused the BRS leader of misleading both the House and the public by claiming that revenue from registrations had decreased, which he termed as completely false."For the financial year 2024-25, the stamps and registration department generated revenue of Rs 14,250 crore. Of this, the govt allocated Rs 5,740 crore to municipalities and corporations. The previous govt delayed transferring revenue from the stamps and registration department to municipalities and corporations since 2020, instead of falsely reporting these funds as stamp duty income. Our govt has ensured that such revenue is properly allocated to municipalities and corporations to avoid repeating the previous govt's mistakes," the deputy CM said.Bhatti criticised the BRS govt for creating problems for farmers by introducing the Dharani portal, and for placing land distributed by the previous Congress govt under the ‘Part-B' (disputed land) list, thereby harassing farmers for nearly a decade. He recalled that during his padayatra from Adilabad to Khammam, he personally heard grievances from assigned farmers in every village, many of whom lacked rights over their lands. He also termed it disgraceful that lands allotted by the then Congress govt, for cultivation and housing to those freed from bonded labour, were included in the prohibited list under Dharani in the erstwhile Adilabad district.He further stated that, in line with its election promise, the Congress govt scrapped Dharani and introduced the transparent ‘Bhu Bharati' system. He assured that justice would be done to the poor regarding lands acquired through land reforms. Taking a swipe at Harish, he said it was ironic that those who had encroached upon assigned lands and troubled poor farmers were now talking about land issues.On excise matters, excise minister Jupally Krishna Rao questioned the moral standing of the previous regime in criticising the state's excise policy. Responding to Harish's allegations, he said the responsibility for the sharp rise in liquor consumption lay squarely on the previous govt. "Excise department revenue, which was below Rs 10,000 crore at the time of Telangana's formation, was systematically pushed to Rs 35,000 crore by the time the BRS left office. These figures clearly show who incentivised liquor sales and fostered a culture of addiction in the state," he said.The minister further clarified that the current administration has maintained fiscal restraint by not increasing taxes during its tenure. Highlighting the success of the 2025-27 liquor policy, he said the govt had earned nearly Rs 2,800 crore through non-refundable application fees alone, indicating a robust response to the new policy without imposing additional tax burdens on the public.Seethakka said that while the BRS govt had issued notifications for several jobs, it was the Congress govt that actually filled 62,000 vacancies. "Issuing notifications alone does not provide employment or satisfy the unemployed youth. It is the filling of vacancies that truly matters," she said.