Stating that the Union Budget has completely ignored Telangana, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday alleged that the NDA government at the Centre was not just discriminating against the state but exhibited ”bias”.
Reddy, who came down heavily on the NDA government, described the Union Budget as “kursi bachao budget (budget to save chair)” as it sought to please NDA partners TDP and JD(U).
NDA means “Naidu-Nitish Dependent Alliance”, he said, addressing a press conference to respond on the budget presented in Parliament by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The CM also demanded that Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy, who is the state BJP president, quit his post over the ”injustice” done to the state.
Revanth Reddy said that after assuming power, he as CM had welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visited the state and even referred to him as elder brother as his government intended to maintain cordial relations with the Centre.
The state government had submitted several requests for funds for development projects to the Centre, he said and added that the eight Congress Lok Sabha members from Telangana would protest over the ”raw deal” given to the state in the budget.
The Centre’s “discrimination” of Telangana would be debated in the legislative assembly on Wednesday and a resolution would be passed on the issue, he said.
When Modi had “found fault with the process of Telangana formation” in the past, people of the state did not expect that he had such ”bias” against the state, Revanth Reddy exclaimed.
“It appears that he (Modi) has been showing not discrimination but bias against Telangana from the beginning. We did not understand when it was said that Centre shows discrimination towards opposition-ruled states. But, now our government clearly feels that the Narendra Modi ji’s government acted not with discrimination, but in a biased manner towards the Telangana people,” he said.
Making it clear that he is not opposed to the Centre giving funds to other states, Revanth Reddy said he is seeking the state’s legitimate rights to be acknowledged and funds allocated for them.
Why are southern states not getting as much as Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in allocation of funds, permissions for development projects and also delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, Revanth Reddy asked.
“We would like to fight against this discrimination. That’s why we will try to move ahead, taking along Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, those who want to come with us,” he said.
If the gist of the budget is seen, it appears as if the word ’Telangana’ was prohibited in the budget, he alleged.
When the budget provides funds to Andhra for construction of Polavaram project, development of capital city Amaravati and others as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, does the Centre not have responsibility to give funds to Telangana as per the same Act, he asked.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act talks about setting up a steel factory and railway coach factory in Telangana, he pointed out.
Why has the Centre not responded to the state’s request for funds for Palamuru-Ranga Reddy irrigation project, Central tribal university. Musi riverfront development and others, he asked.
The state government had sought the establishment of an IIM in Telangana but Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wrote to him three days ago rejecting the request, Revanth Reddy said.
“When IIM is not given to us, why is Kishan Reddy continuing as union minister,” he asked.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Home and BJP National General Secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar said in a statement that the Union Budget presented in parliament today is in national interest.
He appreciated the allocations and importance given to agriculture, education, infrastructure development and housing.
Finding fault with the comments of Congress and BRS leaders that Telangana got a raw deal in the budget, Kumar said funds have been provided for development of backward districts in the country, including those in Telangana.
The Hyderabad-Bengaluru industrial corridor is 210-km stretch in Telangana, he said.
A committee of experts has already concluded that setting up a steel factory at Bayyaram in Telangana, as mentioned in the AP Reorganisation Act, is not feasible, he said.
The previous BRS government did not submit a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the Centre on the Palamaru-Ranga Reddy and Kaleshwaram projects, he claimed.
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