Former Minister Harish Rao criticizes Telangana “Global Summit” as a real estate expo

Former minister Harish Rao sharply criticized the Telangana government’s “Telangana Rising Global Summit 2025,” calling it less of an international investment event and more of a real estate exhibition. Speaking at a review session, Harish claimed the summit, held under the banner of “Future City,” failed to genuinely attract global investors and instead appeared to serve primarily as a platform for land sales.

According to Harish, the summit was a PR stunt by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to divert attention from two years of governance failures. “What was presented as a global summit was essentially a real estate expo,” he said.

Harish criticized the summit’s vision document, calling it meaningless and “visionless,” filled with numbers, colors, and claims with no clear mission or substance. The government had claimed that chief ministers from 18 states and 5,000 international delegates would attend. However, most state leaders did not show up, and only a handful of politicians, such as DK Shivakumar, were present. Harish noted that the event ultimately relied on MBA students and local Congress workers to fill seats.

Harish Rao alleged that the Future City initiative was a disguised real estate scam. He claimed that land adjacent to Pharma City had been pre-purchased and plotted through benami transactions, and the so-called global summit was merely a tool to sell these plots. Harish also drew parallels to previous alleged scams in the state, such as in the power and liquor sectors.

Harish questioned the government over earlier promises of investment. In January 2024, CM Revanth Reddy had announced ₹40,232 crore in investments and 2,500 direct jobs at the Davos meeting, but no clear records indicate where these investments or jobs materialized. Similarly, in the AI Global Summit held in September 2024, 100 international companies participated and 20 MoUs were reportedly signed, yet Harish said tangible results remain unclear.

He demanded a white paper detailing how much investment was realized, which companies actually established operations, and how many jobs were created for Telangana residents.

Harish Rao accused the government of using grandiose events and foreign visits as PR exercises with no practical results. He alleged that instead of decentralizing industries as outlined in the “Mega Master Plan 2050,” the government was concentrating industries in Future City, forcing major pharmaceutical companies to relocate outside Hyderabad.

Harish also criticized the government’s failure to address law and order issues in Hyderabad while portraying the state as business-friendly. He raised questions about the motives behind inviting corporate giants like Ambani and Adani, suggesting hidden agendas behind their involvement.

Interestingly, international participants at the summit praised the development achieved under former CM K. Chandrashekar Rao, a point Harish said highlighted the shortcomings of the current government. Harish Rao urged CM Revanth Reddy to focus on continuing developmental work rather than undermining past progress for political gain.