CM Reddy said he was quite prepared to lead an all-party delegation from Telangana to sit in a dharna in Delhi.
Published Jul 25, 2024 | 1:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 25, 2024 | 3:27 PM
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy and BRS supremo KCR
The Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana supported the resolution moved by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday, 24 July during the budget session of the state Assembly, appealing to the Centre to render justice to Telangana by amending proposals in the Union Budget.
The resolution said the Centre had “ignored” the state while making budget allocations, which it termed “discriminatory.”
The resolution recalled the state government’s representations to the Centre on the state’s needs. The discussion was a heated one with the opposition and the treasury benches accusing each other of playing into the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and betraying the interests of the state.
Loud protests were heard when the chief minister remarked that his predecessor K Chandrasekhar Rao had supported the Modi government’s disastrous demonetisation move, and also the three farm bills that the Union government was shamed into withdrawing. He pointed out that the BRS supported the BJP on the Triple Talaq Bill and the election of the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The discussion in the Assembly meandered, stretching hour after hour till evening, with tempers flaring up with each fresh accusation.
While moving the resolution, the Chief Minister announced that he would boycott the NITI Aayog meeting at Delhi on 27 July to protest the gross injustice done to the state in the budget. Except for CM Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, all chief ministers of the INDIA bloc have announced that they will boycott the NITI Aayog meeting to protest the “discriminatory” Union Budget.
Revanth Reddy said he was quite prepared to lead an all-party delegation from the state to sit in dharna in Delhi; the BRS however suggested that the CM and his cabinet sit in protest, and BRS MLAs would shield them from attack.
Revanth Reddy said he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi three times in a bid to explain the need for cooperation and timely release of funds for projects in the state. He said former prime minister Manmohan Singh had ensured inclusion of several assurances for Telangana in the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Act, 2014, but most of them have so far not been implemented.
Revanth Reddy did not let slip a chance to remind BRS leader T Harish Rao that he had been promoted by the Congress, which had made him a minister even before he became an MLA. The Chief Minister was responding to allegations from Harish Rao that he was not serving the cause of the state. Rao had claimed earlier that he had resigned as MLA several times to push for the formation of Telangana.
Revanth Reddy explained that the state was getting back only 47 paise as central devolutions for every rupee it paid as taxes to the Centre. In the case of Bihar, however, for every rupee paid to the Centre, it was getting ₹7.26. This is what discrimination means, he said.
When BRS members alleged that the chief minister was going soft on the BJP, CM said it was BRS members who staged a walk out from the Lok Sabha when the opposition moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government in Parliament in 2018.
The CM also recalled how BRS Rajya Sabha member J Santosh flew by a special flight to Delhi and participated in voting in support of the RTI Amendment Act in 2019. He recalled that KCR had supported the Modi government when it demonetized high value currency notes. The party had also extended support to BJP in the election of president Ramnath Kovind and vice president M Venkaiah Naidu.
The chief minister said: “The previous BRS government was responsible for the present economic ruin of the Telangana state. It kept pending all bills in every department before the party lost power in the Assembly election. People gave their verdict after witnessing the BRS’ failures.”
(Edited by Rosamma Thomas)
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