Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday announced his decision to boycott the Niti Aayog meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27 in Delhi to register his protest against the discrimination of Telangana in the Union Budget.
While the state did not receive funds or projects promised under the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, he said Andhra Pradesh was allocated special funds and projects under the same law.
He expressed his anger over the neglect of Telangana, emphasising that the state had sought funds and projects from the Centre. "Despite multiple meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union ministers, our requests were ignored," he stated. "The Union Budget gave nothing to Telangana, while special funds were allocated to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. We are not questioning the allocations to these states, but we demand to know why Telangana was overlooked," he added.
"Soon after the Congress government assumed office in December 2023, myself and cabinet ministers met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union ministers several times in Delhi seeking funds and projects for Telangana in the Union Budget that were promised in AP Reorganisation Act. Shockingly, all our requests fell on deaf ears. There is nothing for Telangana in the Union Budget.,” Revanth Reddy said.
“The Centre gave special funds to AP citing the same AP Reorganisation Act but neglected Telangana, which was formed as per the same Act. We are not questioning or objecting to the Centre over allocations of special funds to AP or Bihar. We are only asking why Telangana was discriminated against?" he said.
Refuting accusations of favouritism, Reddy clarified, "I did not become Chief Minister due to anyone's kindness or because I am someone's elder brother," referencing comments made by BRS member K.T. Rama Rao. Reddy highlighted his efforts in advocating for Telangana's interests, including three meetings with PM Modi and eighteen meetings with Union Ministers over the past seven months.
He criticised the Centre's inadequate financial support for Telangana, pointing out a significant disparity in tax devolution. "If Telangana contributes one rupee in taxes, the Centre returns only 43 paise, while Bihar receives Rs. 7.26 for each rupee contributed," he said.
He said that Telangana contributed over Rs 3,68,065 crore in taxes over the past five years but received only Rs 1,68,000 crore in return. In comparison, the five southern states (Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu) contributed Rs 22,26,000 crore but received only Rs 6,42,000 crore, whereas Uttar Pradesh, which contributed Rs 3,41,000 crore, received Rs 6,91,000 crore.
The Chief Minister also said that the need for adequate funding for Hyderabad's development, through projects like the Musi river development, metro expansion, and pharmaceutical sector, has been neglected despite repeated requests.
He urged opposition parties to set aside political interests and unite to pressure the central government for fair funding. "States are not getting their fair share. We tried till the last minute to put pressure on the Centre," he concluded.
