Hyderabad: At a Sridhar Babu press meet held at the Secretariat on Monday, the minister firmly rejected former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s criticism of recent investment MoUs, saying the Congress government had replaced hype with accountable governance.
Setting the tone, Sridhar Babu said the difference between the two governments lay in delivery, not declarations. He said KCR’s model relied on publicity, while the present administration focused on execution. According to him, governance under the Congress government centred on measurable outcomes.
Referring to the BRS tenure, the minister alleged that excessive image-building weakened implementation. That approach, he said, discouraged industries and slowed genuine investments. Job creation for Telangana’s youth, he added, suffered during that period.
Responding to KCR’s remarks, Sridhar Babu criticised the language used against global corporations that signed MoUs with the State Government. Such comments, he said, were inappropriate for a senior leader. Questioning credible investors, he added, damaged the State’s reputation.
The minister alleged that during the BRS regime, companies needed approval from the ruling family to invest. This system, he said, created artificial barriers and delayed decisions. The Congress government, he asserted, had dismantled this “gate-pass culture.”
With policy clarity restored, Sridhar Babu said investors now chose Telangana deliberately. According to him, global companies responded to stability and institutional trust. He rejected claims that the ₹5.75 lakh crore MoUs signed at the Telangana Rising Global Summit were symbolic.
Sridhar Babu press meet details investments, growth and governance
Continuing the Sridhar Babu press meet, the minister asked whether critics also questioned the presence of global CEOs, industry leaders and international delegates at the summit. Their participation, he said, reflected confidence in Telangana’s direction. Within two years, he added, the government attracted ₹3.4 lakh crore in investments.
Explaining the process, Sridhar Babu said MoUs required time to translate into projects and employment. Immediate grounding, he said, was neither realistic nor standard practice. Criticism that ignored this reality distorted facts.
Defending the Bharat Future City initiative, the minister said it was not a real-estate venture. Instead, he described it as a planned, integrated ecosystem for investors. The project, he said, aimed to provide world-class infrastructure in one location.
On governance practices, Sridhar Babu said earlier administrations reduced capable officers to ceremonial roles. Decisions, he alleged, were taken without institutional participation. Under the present government, he said, officers enjoyed autonomy and worked as partners in development.
Citing the Warangal Textile Park, the minister said the Congress government completed a long-pending project. He said the park became India’s first fully functional PM MITRA Park under the present administration. The Centre, he added, released ₹30 crore for its development.
Turning to sectoral growth, Sridhar Babu said Congress governments laid the policy foundations for IT, aerospace, defence and life sciences. These ecosystems, he said, enabled sustained expansion. During nine years of BRS rule, IT exports rose from ₹54,000 crore to ₹2.43 lakh crore.
In contrast, the minister said, the Congress government increased IT exports to ₹3.23 lakh crore in just one and a half years. He described this rise as evidence of policy stability and execution.
Quoting Reserve Bank of India data for 2024–25, Sridhar Babu said Telangana ranked first among large states in per-capita GSDP and income at ₹3.87 lakh. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra followed behind.
Concluding his remarks, the minister said the government under Chief Minister Revanth Reddy functioned with transparency and accountability. Despite political criticism, he said, the administration would continue working to position Telangana as a leading global industrial state.
