Some Congress guarantees, like free bus rides for women under Mahalakshmi and expanded health insurance under Aarogyasri, have been partially implemented, but many other promises remain unmet in Telangana.
Published Jan 08, 2025 | 8:38 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 08, 2025 | 8:38 PM
Fact check: Is Congress leaving a trail of broken promises in Telangana?
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate claimed on a National TV debate that the Congress government in Telangana was providing ₹2,500 per month to 90 lakh women under the Mahalakshmi scheme. But the ground reality tells a different story.
Though the Telangana government had allocated ₹53,196 crore for the six guarantees in its ₹2.75 lakh crore Budget for 2024-25, it has been struggling to make both ends meet.
Congress promised “six guarantees” to improve life in Telangana, including ₹2,500 per month for women, free power, and subsidised LPG. While some measures were partially implemented, the key ₹2,500 aid remains unfulfilled.
The Congress Party, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, came to power in December 2023, riding on a wave of anti-incumbency sentiment against the BRS government.
One of their central campaign promises was to implement a series of “six guarantees,” which were presented as a solution to improve the lives of Telangana residents. These guarantees, which included ₹2,500 per month for women heads of households, free power supply up to 200 units, and subsidised LPG refills, were touted as a panacea for the state’s economic issues.
However, while the Congress government has partially rolled out some of these promises, the most significant one — the ₹2,500 financial aid for women — remains unfulfilled. The scheme has been successfully implemented in Karnataka under the Congress government led by Cheif Minister Siddaramaiah.
KT Rama Rao (KTR), working president of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), refuted Shrinate’s claims, accusing Congress of being deceitful, and calling their promises “a shameless scam.” He pointed out that despite claiming to provide ₹2,500 per month to 90 lakh women under the Mahalakshmi scheme, not a single rupee has reached any beneficiary.
“Their bogus ‘Mahalakshmi’ guarantee has not touched a single household in Telangana,” KTR wrote, emphasising that Congress’s broken promises and false guarantees were only fuelling anger among the women of the state.
Shameless Scamgress!
Delhi leaders outdo Telangana local congis in deception, claiming to have given ₹2,500 to 90 lakh people, yet not a single rupee has reached any woman in a year
Their bogus “Mahalakshmi” guarantee hasn’t touched even a single household in Telangana… pic.twitter.com/IyZFktiym6
— KTR (@KTRBRS) January 8, 2025
KTR challenged Congress leaders to prove that even one woman in Telangana had received the promised amount.
“Shall we allow these liars to peddle outrageous lies and get away with it?” KTR asked, reiterating his stance that the Congress Party had failed to deliver on their word.
While some of the Congress guarantees have seen partial implementation — such as the free bus rides for women under the Mahalakshmi scheme and the enhancement of health insurance coverage under Aarogyasri — many of the promises remain unaddressed.
The government did manage to implement the Gruha Jyothi scheme, which provides 200 units of free power, and the Mahalakshmi guarantee, which includes a subsidy of ₹500 for LPG cylinder refills.
However, these promises have also faced significant criticism, with complaints that many eligible individuals were excluded due to outdated eligibility criteria tied to ration cards.
In the case of the ₹2,500 financial aid, despite grand announcements by Congress leaders such as Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Rahul Gandhi, the promise has failed to materialise.
Recently, the Telangana cabinet announced that farmers in Telangana will get ₹12,000 per acre annually under the Rythu Bharosa scheme, the state government’s agriculture investment subsidy. Though the amount is ₹2,000 more than what farmers have been receiving, it fell short of ₹15,000 the Congress had promised ahead of the Assembly elections in 2023.
Congress’s campaign strategy of offering guarantees without the financial backing or infrastructure to support them has now left the people disillusioned.
Controversy over Congress’ guarantees is not new. Earlier last year, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka made headlines by claiming that the Congress had never promised an unemployment allowance as part of its six guarantees.
This statement contradicted the promises made earlier by senior Congress leaders, including AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, who had announced an unemployment allowance of ₹4,000 per month for unemployed youth.
The statement sparked outrage, with BRS leaders accusing Congress of dishonesty and misrepresentation. KTR’s party quickly pointed out that Congress’s own manifesto and statements from its leaders had made the promise clear.
BRS leader Krishank Manne took to social media, calling out Vikramarka for denying the promise made by Priyanka Gandhi earlier in the year.
“Congress in its Declaration released by Priyanka Gandhi ji promised ₹4,000 Unemployed Allowance but Deputy CM of Congress denies giving such a promise,” Manne wrote, underlining the confusion and lack of clarity within the Congress ranks.
Congress in its Declaration released by Priyanka Gandhi ji promised Rs.4000 Unemployed Allowance but Deputy CM of Congress denies giving such promise 👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/QixZ3BLtNN
— Dr.Krishank (@Krishank_BRS) December 20, 2023
(Compiled by Ananya Rao)
