Telangana BC welfare and Transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar at the ‘Face-to-face with Minister’ programme where people presented their grievances at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Wednesday (June 4, 2025)
| Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR

The ‘Face-to-Face with Minister’ at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad has resumed after a gap of over five months. As part of the weekly programme, Ministers from the Telangana cabinet sit at the Congress party’s headquarters to receive petitions from people and address their grievances. It, launched in September 2024, was stopped in December without giving any reason. 

Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar attended the programme on Wednesday (June 10, 2025). He said that the party had decided to continue with the event for the benefit of the people following the direction of party state-in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan.

“I appeal to the people and party workers to come to Gandhi Bhavan, which is like a temple for many, and submit your petitions to get your issues resolved,” he said. Later, he received petitions from the public as well as party workers. The petitions are related to land disputes, senior citizens’ welfare, jobs, party positions and others, according to the party sources. 

Speaking to the media before attending the programme, Mr. Prabhakar termed Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K. Kavitha’s protest under the aegis of Telangana Jagruthi at Dharna Chowk on Wednesday against notices to former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao — by the Justice PC Ghosh commission probing alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) — as mere attempt to make her presence felt.

“The enquiry commission can call or issue notices to anyone involved in the execution of the Kaleshwaram project,” the Minister said, defending the issuance of notices to the former Chief Minister. He alleged that the previous BRS government had looted public money under the pretext of providing water by constructing irrigation projects.

He also dismissed the recent controversy surrounding Ms. Kavitha’s letter to her father as a trivial matter, adding that the Congress is not bothered about their internal clashes.

He accused the main Opposition BRS of enacting dramas to attract public attention because the party is losing ground and its future seems bleak.