Hyderabad: Irrigation and civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy strongly condemned finance minister Nirmala Sitharamam for completely neglecting Telangana in the Union Budget 2024-25.
In a media statement, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Budget was politically motivated and drafted not for the people but to please BJP's allies, the JD (U) and the TD. While Bihar was given financial aid of Rs 41,000 crore, Andhra Pradesh got Rs 15,000 crore and other sops, including funds for completion of the Polavaram project.
Congress-ruled States, especially Telangana, were totally neglected, he said.
"This was the 11th budget after the formation of Telangana, but the new state remained neglected by the Centre. For the first time since 2014, a separate chapter titled 'Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act' was incorporated in the budget speech, but the finance minister did not mention the word 'Telangana' in her speech of 58 pages and 14,692 words," he said.
"While we are not against the Centre giving special funds to Andhra Pradesh, we strongly condemn its discrimination towards Telangana. Led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, a delegation of Telangana ministers submitted various applications to all mininstries in the last seven months seeking funds for projects. But our pleas were completely ignored," he said.
“The BJP government promised to fund the Polavaram project, but gave no assurance of giving funds for Palamuru Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme (PRLIS),” he said and added that the government was still hopeful of getting funding as assured by then Union jal shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
He ridiculed Sitharaman's claim that the Centre was making “concerted efforts to fulfil the commitments in the AP Reorganisation Act.” "People of Telangana have been waiting for the last ten years for the BJP government to honour the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act. The Railway Coach Factory in Kazipet, steel factory at Bayyaram, funds for Tribal University, funds for high-speed road and rail connectivity, and other promises made in the Act remained unfulfilled.
"If Bihar and Andhra Pradesh deserved special funds, then why is Telangana being deprived of such treatment," he asked.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the finance minister selectively sanctioned grants for the backward regions of Rayalaseema, Prakasam, and north coastal Andhra but did not mention Telangana.
He said the eight BJP MPs of Telangana, including Union ministers G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay, failed to get a decent share for the state in the Union Budget.
He said that the Union Budget was highly disappointing for Telangana as it deprived the state of its share in resources and welfare schemes.
