Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao likes to boast about how only Gujarat and Telangana are revenue surplus states. Which is perhaps why KCR has no qualms about splurging on his office. His latest acquisition is a bullet-proof and mine-proof Mercedes Benz bus. It will be used during his tour to the districts in Telangana and burns a hole of 5 crore rupees in the exchequer.

The white bus was brought on Wednesday evening from Chandigarh to Miyapur bus depot in Hyderabad. It is a 12-seater bus which also has a ladder for KCR to climb on top of the bus to make a dramatic public appearance. The bus is wifi-enabled and will help the CM hold meetings with ministers and officials while on the move.

The Congress was quick to criticise, questioning the self-indulgence at a time when over 700 farmers have killed themselves in the last one year, unable to repay the loans they took for their crop. The TRS however, has dismissed the criticism as a case of sour grapes, calling the Congress jealous of the work KCR is able to do. The government points out that the CM wants to use the mode of transport used by the common man and says the bus does not even have a bed inside and is strictly a work area.

The bus was delivered in time for the CM to use it on day one of the `Haritha Haaram' programme, which is an ambitious plantation drive undertaken by the Telangana government. But with the pujas at the temple delaying the bus, KCR is likely to use it only later this month.

Incidentally, his Andhra Pradesh counterpart and bete noire, Chandrababu Naidu also has a luxury bus provided by his government, in which he travels outside Hyderabad and even sleeps in when the quality of accommodation provided in the district towns is not up to the mark.