BRS hits streets; Congress dodges answer
Protests across Telangana pressed the Congress government to say, on the record, what it plans for Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak. The budget funds the schemes; the silence does not.
The budget includes the schemes; the government has yet to state its position in court.
BRS cadres staged protests in multiple Telangana districts on August 17 over the future of Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak, citing an ongoing High Court challenge and alleging the Congress government is dragging its feet in court. A report lists actions in Medak, Sangareddy, Siddipet, Mancherial, Nalgonda, Khammam, Jagtial, Peddapalli, Sircilla, Narayanpet, Mahabubnagar, Nagarkurnool, Nizamabad, Warangal/Hanumakonda, Jangaon, Mahabubabad and Jayashankar Bhupalpally. The statewide headcount is not published; the list is long either way. (Source: a report)
Here’s the part on paper. The state’s 2025–26 Budget-in-Brief sets aside ₹3,683 crore for “Kalyana Lakshmi / Shaadi Mubarak”. The ePass portal still carries application and status links for both, with eligibility spelt out. That is not what scrapping looks like. (Source: Budget document; ePass portal)
In court, a July hearing on petitions challenging the schemes’ constitutional validity saw the High Court seek the state’s counter within four weeks and remind it to prioritise primary obligations before largesse. Those are secondary reports; the underlying order is not in the material reviewed. A claim of a blanket “stay” is not established here. (Source: legal reporting)
BRS leaders at the protests accused the Congress government of delaying its affidavit and failing to release assistance. They also cited a one-tola gold promise and pegged past disbursals under BRS at ₹13,484.69 crore — both are political claims until backed by a manifesto line or a department/CAG figure. (Source: reports)
What matters now is simple: Will the Congress government defend the schemes in court and keep payments moving, or won’t it? The budget line says yes. The Congress government of Telangana has yet to say so itself, which is the part that reads like a plan it won’t admit to.