"The budget was proof that no homework was done in preparing it. The government had not yet formulated a policy for any sector," KCR said.
Published Jul 25, 2024 | 4:50 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 25, 2024 | 4:50 PM
BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Leader of Opposition and BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), on Thursday, 25 July, described the Telangana budget for 2024-25, presented in the Assembly as “gas and trash,” since it had nothing to offer to any section of people.
Speaking to media persons at the media point on the Assembly premises, in Hyderabad, KCR, who attended the House for the first time as the leader of Opposition (LoP), said that he would take the ruling Congress apart in the Assembly for doing great injustice to the farm sector by saying that it would restrict Rythu Bharosa to a smaller number of farmers.
The former chief minister said: “It has become clear that those in the government had not yet formulated a policy for any sector. The budget speech was like a cheap rhetoric on a roadside platform.” He added that the budget was out and out anti-farmer.
He said that when he was the chief minister of the state, he had a clear idea of what the farm sector needed.
“We gave Rythu Bandhu for two crops with an intention to stabilise agriculture in the state. But these people want to deny Rythu Bharosa to farmers on some pretext or the other. They are speaking as though we had misused funds by paying money to farmers under Rythu Bandhu.”
“The present government has not been procuring paddy, not supplying power to the farm wells. The farmers are suffering a great deal. The government has no answer when our members wanted to know when Rythu Bharosa money would be credited to the farmers’ accounts,” he said.
The BRS leader noted that the state government had dropped several schemes introduced by him when the BRS was in power like the sheep scheme.
“There was no mention of Dalit Bandhu, there could be no better indication that the government was anit-dalit and feudal in nature than remaining silent on Dalit Bandhu. There was no assurance of help to fishermen either,” he said.
He sought to take the wind out of Congress’ sails by saying that the promise to provide interest-free loans up to ₹1 lakh crore to women is a scheme that is already in existence.
“We wanted to give at least six months for the new government to find its feet. But when I went through the budget, it became clear that I could not remain silent for long. The budget was proof that no homework was done in preparing it. The government had not yet formulated a policy for any sector,” he said.
The former chief minister said that Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s budget speech was all hot air.
“It was like a political speech. There was no mention of any industrial, or agriculture or IT policy. It was more like reading a story for the benefit of the people. The government has not spelt out what it was going to do to the poor.”
“It has not spelt out any scheme or set out any goals, This is neither pro-farmer nor pro-poor budget. You will know for whose benefit the budget was presented when I analyze it in future. I am going to take the Congress government to the cleaners,” he said.
Former Chief Minister of #Telangana K Chandrashekar Rao said that there is nothing new in the budget. He pointed out the absence of any welfare schemes and criticized the budget for lacking emphasis on significant issues.
He said that there is no new policy formula. KCR… pic.twitter.com/hFgZySYKmp
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) July 25, 2024
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)
