The minister said if there was some delay in delivering on the promises, it was because of the previous BRS government leaving the state in a financial mess.
Published Jan 23, 2024 | 9:30 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 23, 2024 | 9:41 PM
File photo of Komatireddy Venkat Reddy. (Supplied)
Telangana Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy on Tuesday, 23 January, said the free power supply of up to 200 units for domestic use, promised by the Congress under the Gruha Jyothi scheme, will be implemented from February.
Speaking to reporters, the minister said if there was some delay in delivering on the promises, it was because of the previous BRS government leaving the state in a financial mess while demitting office.
“We are committed to implementing all the guarantees within 100 days as promised,” he said.
The minister was speaking after the Congress Manifesto Committees’ meeting at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad. The meeting was attended by IT minister D Sridhar Babu, Telangana in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi, and other members.
Venkata Reddy, after the committee reviewed the progress of the implementation of the promises, said the government would keep its promises.
“We are on course to provide 200 units of power free of cost to consumers from next month,” he said.
Lashing out at BRS leaders for their “intemperate” language in criticising the government, Venkat Reddy said that the pink party had never been in the habit of reviewing the promises made in its manifesto.
“We have done it (the review) today, just 47 days after coming to power. That explains the commitment the party has in serving people,” he said.
Venkat Reddy said that the BRS had caused of loss of ₹70,000 crore to the power sector.
“Though Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy called D Prabhakar Rao, the chairman of TSTRANSCO for a meeting, he gave it a miss. The police would not spare Prabhakar Rao because he is very aged. They would not spare former Energy Minister G Jagdish Reddy either. They will have to go to jail,” he said.
The minister said works were awarded on a nomination basis for the construction of Yadadri and Bhadradri power plants, causing huge losses. “There were irregularities in the purchase of power from Chhattisgarh,” he said.
He took exception to KTR giving a call to power consumers to send their power bills to his address since he had appealed to the people on the eve of elections not to pay power bills since the Congress government would introduce a free power supply scheme.
“How could KTR give such a call to the people to send their power bills to me? How can we deliver on the promises with the BRS not giving any ration cards to the people for the past 10 years?” he asked.
Venkat Reddy said that the BRS had no moral right to criticise the Congress since it was in the habit of purchasing MLAs, MPs, and sarpanches.
“The BRS leaders were saying that the Congress government would not last more than three or six months or a year. If we wanted to trigger defections from the BRS to the Congress, no one would remain with KCR except KTR or T Harish Rao. But we will not stoop to that level,” he said and appealed to people to defeat the BRS candidates in all the Lok Sabha constituencies.
Venkata Reddy said that they were all working under the leadership of Revanth Reddy.
“We would gain the confidence of the people more and win more than 100 seats in the next elections. We won 64 seats in the recent Assembly elections and lost 10 seats very narrowly. We have begun implementing promises. Women are travelling free of cost all over the state in RTC buses. They went to their native places for the Sankranti festival, availing the free ride on buses,” he said.
