TPCC President B Mahesh Kumar Goud criticised Nirmala Sitharaman for her lack of concern for Telangana. In a statement, he said the Union Budget did a grave injustice to Telangana's people.
Published Feb 02, 2025 | 9:50 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 02, 2025 | 9:50 AM
Congress, BRS flay the Union budget while the BJP hail it as the dream of the middle class.
The Congress, BRS, and BJP in Telangana reacted to the national budget along expected lines. While Congress and BRS expressed their deep sense of dissatisfaction, the BJP claimed it was a dream come true for the middle class.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President B Mahesh Kumar Goud criticised Nirmala Sitharaman for her lack of concern for Telangana.
In a statement, he said the Union Budget did a grave injustice to Telangana’s people. He added that the Union government did not allocate any funds for the state, which he described as a “donkey’s egg” (a term used to denote something insignificant).
Goud said the budget resembled an election-focused one, similar to the one presented for Bihar, where allocations were made with an eye on the upcoming elections.
The PCC chief accused the BJP of displaying clear discrimination against Telangana, “In a budget of ₹50.65 lakh crore, the Union government did not allocate even a single rupee for Telangana.”
He alleged that the BJP is using the Union Budget to gain political mileage in Bihar, where Assembly elections are due soon. He emphasised that taxes collected from the people of the entire country should be distributed equally to all states.
During her budget speech, Nirmala Sitharaman quoted Telugu poet Gurajada Apparao’s famous lines, “Desamante matti kaadoy, desamante manushuloy” (A nation is not just land; a nation is its people). Highlighting the quote, Goud questioned whether the people of Telangana were not part of this nation.
He also asked what happened to the promises made by the prime minister, BJP leaders, and Union Ministers to Telangana during the elections.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers, and MPs have met Union ministers and the prime minister, urging them to address Telangana’s pending demands.
Several critical projects, including railway projects, bifurcation assurances, the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project’s national status, an Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR), the Bayyaram Steel Factory, and the establishment of an Indian Institute of Management (IIM), remain pending.
Goud pointed out that although Telangana contributes ₹40,000 crore in GST to the Union government, the state has not received its due share of funds. He criticised the BJP for discriminating against Telangana simply because a Congress government is in power in the state.
He urged the Union government to immediately extend necessary support to Telangana and address its pending demands. He emphasised that it is high time the BJP-led Union government stopped its discriminatory practices and ensured justice for Telangana.
Meanwhile, BRS working president KT Rama Rao expressed deep displeasure over Telangana drawing a blank in the national budget. In a statement, he said the budget stood as a testament to the Union government’s apathy toward the state.
“Like in the last budget, this time too, the finance minister did not utter the word ‘Telangana’ anywhere in her budget speech,” he said.
He described the budget as a letdown for the four crore people of Telangana, who had high hopes after receiving nothing in the previous budget. “The budget was like a pail of cold water thrown at them,” he added.
Rao accused the Union government of serving Bihar a lavish dinner on a golden plate while starving Telangana. “It was a raw deal,” he said, expressing dissatisfaction over the Centre not allocating any central educational institutions to the state.
He pointed out that the budget was silent on numerous promises made to Telangana at the time of the division of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh in 2014.
“There was no mention of the steel factory at Bayyaram, the restoration of ITIR, or irrigation projects. The people of Telangana will not trust the BJP in the future,” he said, criticising the Union government for being generous toward a steel plant in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh while ignoring the need for a similar plant in Telangana. ‘
“This is against the principles of federalism,” he added.
However, Union Minister and Telangana BJP President G Kishan Reddy described the budget as a dream come true for the middle class.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, the Union minister said one should remember that it is a national budget, and Telangana would have its share in all the measures announced by the finance minister.
He stated that the people of Telangana would also benefit from the increase in the income tax exemption ceiling to ₹12 lakh per annum, calling it a revolutionary step.
“This would immensely help the middle class and the poor,” the Union minister said.
Responding to critics questioning what Telangana gained from the budget, he said Telangana, like all other states, is a beneficiary of the schemes announced.
“For instance, the allocation of ₹1.5 lakh crore for MSMEs (Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) would benefit those in Telangana as well.
He added that the budget has increased the centre’s share of funds in central schemes.
“Telangana, being an urban state, will receive an additional ₹10,000 crore,” he said, noting that the Amrut scheme would now cover 125 urban local bodies in the state. He also mentioned that gig workers in Telangana would benefit from the new health insurance coverage.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
