Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka attacked BJP MLA Harish Rao with misleading information in the Telangana Legislative Assembly. He said the government is ready to take up discussions on state debts, pending the Speaker's approval. Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar presided over the Question and Answer session during the Legislative Assembly proceedings. The session saw an argument between Harish Rao and Bhatti Vikramarka.
BJP leader Harish Rao alleged that the Congress government had run up a debt of ₹1.27 lakh crore in a single year, as data from RBI showed. The total debt under Congress' five-year rule would escalate to ₹6.36 lakh crore, he claimed. He criticized the Congress leaders for spreading false narratives about debts during the BJP regime. In referring to the Congress' claims, Rao stated that a privilege motion was moved, accusing that the special discussion is needed regarding state debts. According to Rao, he said Bhatti Vikramarka backtracked upon the election pre-promises made with debt figures of concern.
Bhatti Vikramarka responded by stating that the white paper was released on the debts taken by the previous government. He said that he did not exceed the FRBM limits and again said that the government was ready to discuss the issue with the Speaker's permission. Bhatti condemned Harish Rao's statement, asking him not to waste the legislative time and to not spread false information.
Bhatti also criticized the BJP’s performance, questioning its promises of three-acre land grants and double-bedroom houses for Dalits. He accused the BJP of concealing its financial mismanagement, unlike Congress, which maintained transparency about its borrowing practices.
Raising procedural concerns, Bhatti objected to Harish Rao’s remarks about ethics, arguing that it was improper to question the Speaker's authority. He pointed out inconsistencies in the application of rules, noting differences in the BJP's adherence to norms when Pocharam Srinivas Reddy served as Speaker. Bhatti stressed the importance of respecting the Speaker’s position and maintaining consistency in legislative practices.
In reply, Harish Rao justified his statements and told that the statements were according to the rules of the legislature. He pointed out Bhatti Vikramarka of misusing the criticism as a diversion from core issues. He appealed the Speaker to allow discussion on state debts in the current session.
