Congress govt. failed minorities by not keeping promises: Harish Rao

HYDERABAD: Former Minister and senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader T. Harish Rao on Sunday accused the Congress government in Telangana of reneging on its commitments to minority communities, alleging that key pledges made in the party’s Minorities Declaration have gone unfulfilled, including a promise to allocate ₹4,000 crore for minorities’ development and welfare in the State budget.

Event and setting

Harish Rao made the remarks while participating in a programme organised by the Telangana Turaka Kasha Welfare Association at Gajwel. During the event, he distributed tools to several youths from minority communities. He broadened his criticism beyond minority welfare, asserting that the government had also failed to deliver on assurances made to farmers and economically weaker sections.

Budget pledges versus outlays

The BRS leader contrasted the current allocations with those under the previous BRS administration, contending that the minority welfare budget had been strengthened during the tenure of former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR). According to Harish Rao, before KCR became Chief Minister the minority budget stood at around ₹300 crore and was subsequently increased to approximately ₹1,800 crore under the BRS government.

He alleged that despite the Congress party’s electoral promise to raise the allocation to ₹4,000 crore, the present government was spending “only around ₹1,300 crore” on minority welfare. He further claimed that minorities were not receiving adequate support through the Minority Finance Corporation, and asserted that the Congress government had failed minority communities in the State.

Scholarship support questioned

Harish Rao also pointed to overseas education support as a measure of the government’s performance. He said the BRS administration had extended overseas scholarships to minority students on par with those provided to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Backward Classes (BC) students, with a cumulative outlay of about ₹1,550 crore during its tenure. In comparison, he alleged that the Congress government had released only ₹14 crore for overseas scholarships over the last three years.

Broader criticism of government delivery

Framing the issue as part of a wider shortfall in governance, Harish Rao maintained that the current administration’s record on implementing promises made to minorities, farmers and the poor was inadequate. He underscored his party’s position that strengthening institutional mechanisms and honouring budgetary commitments are essential to ensuring substantive welfare delivery.

Conclusion

Harish Rao’s remarks, delivered at Gajwel and backed by specific claims on budgetary allocations and scholarship funding, sharpen the BRS’s criticism of the Congress government’s performance on minority welfare. The allegations add to the political debate in Telangana over competing records on social sector spending and the execution of election-time promises.