Congress Accused of Spreading Misinformation on GRAM G, Says Telangana BJP Chief Ramchander Rao

In a sharp rebuke to Telangana’s ruling party, state BJP president N Ramchander Rao accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and the Congress government of orchestrating a “deliberate misinformation campaign” regarding the G RAM G Act, which he described as a modernized version of the longstanding rural employment scheme.

Speaking to reporters at BJP headquarters in Hyderabad on Saturday, Rao defended the G RAM G Act as an updated iteration of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), emphasizing that the revisions were specifically designed to address contemporary rural needs more effectively.

“This improved legislation aims to expand employment opportunities in villages by providing more working days and greater security to needy households,” Rao explained, highlighting the program’s enhanced features intended to strengthen rural livelihoods across the state.

The BJP leader didn’t mince words when describing what he views as politically motivated opposition to the program. “The Chief Minister is spreading falsehoods because the Congress is afraid of the overwhelming support the BJP is receiving ahead of the upcoming municipal elections,” Rao alleged, suggesting the criticism stems from political anxiety rather than substantive policy concerns.

Rao’s comments reflect the intensifying political rivalry in Telangana, a state that has become increasingly contested in recent years. The BJP has been working to position itself as a viable alternative to both the Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the party that governed the state for nearly a decade after its formation.

“The people of Telangana have witnessed the ‘anti-people’ governance of both BRS and Congress,” Rao claimed, suggesting that voters have grown disillusioned with both major parties. He further alleged that “these two parties are now colluding to mislead the public with false propaganda against the BJP,” painting his political opponents as desperate and collaborative in their efforts to undermine BJP’s growing influence.

The dispute extends beyond the rural employment scheme to encompass the state’s public distribution system, another critical welfare mechanism that directly impacts millions of citizens. Rao criticized the Congress government’s implementation of rice distribution programs, questioning whether the Chief Minister was “unaware that the Centre was supplying 5 kg of free rice through ration shops.”

This accusation touches on a common tension point in India’s federal system, where state governments and the central government often contest credit for welfare schemes that receive funding from national coffers but are implemented locally. Rao specifically accused the state government of “trying to claim credit by distributing fine rice in bags that did not carry the Prime Minister’s photograph,” framing this as an attempt to obscure the central government’s role in providing essential food security.

The BJP state president went further by demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photo be made “mandatory on all ration bags and receipts.” This request reflects the importance political parties place on visual branding of welfare schemes, especially as elections approach. Rao made his position clear by “warning that the BJP would launch protests if the Congress government failed to do so.”

The confrontation highlights the increasingly competitive political landscape in Telangana, where the BJP has been gaining ground in recent elections. With municipal polls on the horizon, both parties appear to be staking claims to popular welfare schemes and attempting to control the narrative around their implementation and effectiveness.

The dispute over program branding and credit may seem procedural, but it underscores the high-stakes political battle for voter perception in a state where welfare programs significantly influence electoral outcomes.