Political leaders' language is distressing public; unregulated election spending is driving corruption: Telangana Council Chairman

The Hindu

21-07-2025

Telangana Legislative Council Chairman Gutha Sukender Reddy expressed serious concern over the declining standards of political discourse, cautioning that the language used by political leaders is increasingly distressing the public.
Speaking to the media at his camp office in Nalgonda on Monday (July 21, 2025), he urged leaders across party lines to introspect and adopt a more dignified tone.
'The political environment is turning toxic due to the harsh, foul and inflammatory language being used,' he said, adding that such rhetoric was creating public anger. 'Leaders should be mindful of future generations. Systems matter more than individuals,' he noted.
On the other hand, Mr. Reddy also found fault with the growing culture of populist welfare schemes, stating that 'freebies are damaging the State and national economy.' He warned that if left unchecked, these schemes could lead to financial collapse. 'Such policies are creating a dependency mindset and eroding the work ethic among people, particularly in Telangana,' he said, pointing to the influx of labourers from states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
Calling for a shift in focus towards employment generation, he said, 'People should not be made to rely on the government for everything. Our priority must be job creation, not just handing out doles.'
Reddy also expressed alarm over rising corruption, particularly in the Irrigation department. 'Officials are inflating estimates and siphoning off large sums. The scale of corruption is enormous,' he alleged. He emphasised that the primary driver of corruption was unregulated election spending and urged the Supreme Court and Election Commission of India (ECI) to intervene.
Commenting on the controversial Banakacharla project, he warned it would harm Telangana's interests and asked the government to take immediate note.
On the issue of political violence and personal attacks among leaders, Mr. Reddy said such confrontations were unhealthy and cautioned that law would take its own course. He also advised restraint in politically sensitive cases, including that of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K. Kavitha and MLC Chintapandu Naveen aka Teenmaar Mallanna, stating that public representatives must uphold democratic values.