Hyderabad, Feb 1 The Congress government in Telangana has reacted strongly to the Union Budget 2025-26, alleging blatant discrimination against the state.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and IT & Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu condemned the raw deal meted out to Telangana once again.
The Deputy Chief Minister alleged that the Centre completely neglected Telangana. He also slammed the Centre over what he called attempts to cut down the state’s share in tax revenues.
He alleged that the Central government acted with bias in the allocation of funds and ignored the irrigation projects.
Sridhar Babu said the Union Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman once again exposed the Centre's deliberate bias against Telangana. He said while election-bound and NDA-ruled states have been lavishly rewarded, Telangana has been systematically sidelined.
The minister stated that despite contributing 5 per cent to the national GDP, Telangana has not received funds in proportion to its economic strength.
“Telangana remitted Rs 26,000 crore in taxes to the Centre, yet it has been denied its rightful share. Even as the overall budget increased by 12 per cent compared to last year, Telangana was neglected for political reasons. The Modi government has betrayed the people of Telangana, despite the state electing 8 BJP MPs to Parliament,” he said.
Sridhar Babu said while states like Bihar, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat have been showered with allocations, Telangana has been deliberately excluded. Is this not a clear act of political vendetta, he asked.
He said Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka had repeatedly written and met the Prime Minister and Union Ministers, seeking Rs 1.63 lakh crore in financial aid but their pleas were ignored.
The minister said Telangana had sought Rs 17,212 crore for the expansion of Hyderabad Metro to a length of 76.4 km but the Centre refused to allocate a single rupee.
Despite Hyderabad’s rapid evolution into a global city, the Centre denied funds under CSMP for modernising underground drainage systems in Hyderabad and its suburbs, he said.
The 55-km-long Musi River, which has become an environmental hazard, required Rs 4,000 crore for restoration but the Centre flatly refused to help.
“As per Article 1, India is a Union of States, but for the BJP, it appears to be only a union of politically significant states. Time and again, the Centre disregards the spirit of federalism. This time, Bihar has been showered with special packages, while Telangana has been entirely overlooked,” said Sridhar Babu.
Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy slammed the Union Budget 2025-26, calling it anti-farmer, anti-poor, and a betrayal of Telangana by the BJP-led Union government.
He accused the BJP government of crafting the budget with an eye on upcoming elections, favouring Bihar and Delhi while ignoring Telangana and other non-election states.
Uttam Kumar Reddy listed several unfulfilled commitments made under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014. They include the Bayyaram Steel Plant, Kazipet Railway Coach Factory, a Tribal University, national status for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project and the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) for Hyderabad.
"Telangana has been seeking these projects for a decade, yet the BJP government has repeatedly turned a blind eye," he said.
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