Congress Minister Ponguleti Attacks BRS Leader KTR Over Housing Scheme Record

Hyderabad — Telangana's Revenue and Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy has launched a pointed critique of BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, questioning his authority to speak about the Indiramma housing initiative and challenging him on the state's housing record.

Taking to social media, Ponguleti asserted that KTR is unfit to invoke the name "Indiramma," citing the former BRS government's involvement in phone tapping operations that extended to surveillance of family members.

The minister highlighted that the Congress administration has already initiated construction of 4.5 lakh houses during its initial two-and-a-half years in office. He further noted that villagers who have received homes through the Indiramma scheme have become witnesses to the distinction between Congress governance and its predecessor.

Ponguleti also took aim at KTR's engagement with rural communities, suggesting the BRS leader remains disconnected from the concerns of ordinary citizens while maintaining a lifestyle centered around farmhouses.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is scheduled to commence construction of an additional 2.5 lakh Indiramma houses on June 1, according to Ponguleti. The Cabinet has additionally green-lit the construction of one lakh houses across three municipal corporations within Hyderabad's boundaries.

The minister pointed to the electoral setbacks faced by the BRS in recent Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, specifically mentioning losses in the Cantonment and Jubilee Hills constituencies. He suggested that voters have signaled their readiness to relegate the BRS to political irrelevance in forthcoming elections.

Ponguleti issued a direct challenge to KTR regarding the comparative performance of housing schemes under both administrations. He declared that Congress would not campaign for votes in villages without Indiramma houses and called on the BRS to similarly refrain from seeking support in settlements lacking double-bedroom dwellings.

The minister posed a direct question to KTR, asking whether he would accept this challenge.