Hyderabad: BRS leader and former minister T. Harish Rao criticised the Congress government over Kerala election ads, alleging misuse of public funds for political publicity outside Telangana.
Rao said full-page Kerala election ads featuring Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and deputy chief ministers appeared in Malayalam newspapers during the ongoing polls in the neighbouring state.
According to him, the Telangana government spent hundreds of crores on these advertisements.
He alleged that the government diverted public resources while claiming the state treasury faced financial constraints.
Rao said the administration complained about a lack of funds for welfare programmes within the state but continued to spend on publicity campaigns in other states.
Harish Rao attacks government over Kerala election ads
The BRS leader also accused the government of failing to fulfil promises made to women and youth.
He said the Congress had promised ₹2,500 monthly assistance under the Mahalakshmi scheme. The party also promised gold and scooters for girl students.
However, Rao alleged that these promises remained unfulfilled. He said many women in the state felt disappointed with the government.
At the same time, he criticised claims in the Kerala election ads that one crore women had become millionaires through the government’s policies.
Rao described the claims as misleading and called them false publicity.
He also alleged that the government failed to provide jobs for unemployed youth. According to him, students demanding recruitment notifications faced police action late at night.
Rao further criticised the administration over welfare programmes for farmers and pension beneficiaries.
He said the Rythu Bandhu scheme worked effectively during the tenure of former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.
However, he alleged that the current government discontinued the programme and misled farmers through loan waiver announcements.
Rao also said promises such as a ₹500 bonus for paddy farmers and the Rythu Bharosa scheme remained unimplemented.
He added that the government failed to increase social pensions to ₹4,000 as promised before elections.
Rao questioned how the administration could claim a shortage of funds for welfare programmes while financing Kerala election ads.
He also alleged that Telangana funds were being used for Congress campaigns in other states, including Maharashtra and Delhi.
Rao urged voters in other states not to believe what he described as the Congress party’s “fake publicity” campaign.
He demanded that the party immediately stop the Kerala election ads and reimburse the Telangana government for the money spent.
Pretending to be bankrupt at home while spending lavishly in other states that is the reality of the Congress government in Telangana.
Chief Minister @revanth_anumula repeatedly claims that the state treasury is empty. Yet the same government is spending crores of Telangana… pic.twitter.com/IUEQjYbjgP
— Harish Rao Thanneeru (@BRSHarish) March 6, 2026
