Telangana betrayed again in Union Budget 2025-26: Uttam Kumar Reddy  

Hyderabad, February 1: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt Uttam Kumar Reddy slammed the Union Budget 2025-26, calling it anti-farmer, anti-poor, and a betrayal of Telangana by the BJP-led Central 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.

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“Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman opened her budget speech with a quote from the legendary Telugu poet Gurajada Appa Rao: ‘Desamante Matti Kaadoi, Desamante Manushuloi’—’A country is not just its soil, a country is its people.’ Ironically, while drawing strength from the words of a Telugu poet, she chose to completely overlook the Telugu state of Telangana in her budget, exposing the BJP government’s politically motivated approach to financial allocations,” he said.

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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Minister Uttam accused the BJP of using the budget as a political tool, directing funds towards election-bound states. “A Makhana Board, a Food Technology Institute, a Greenfield Airport, and an irrigation project have been announced for Bihar, but Telangana, which contributes 4.5% to India’s GDP, has been ignored. Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,’ but this budget exposes his real strategy – Vikas only for election-bound states,” he said.  

“If the Centre can sanction irrigation projects in Bihar and other states, why has it refused to grant national status to the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project, which is Telangana’s lifeline?” he questioned.

Calling the budget anti-farmer, Uttam Kumar Reddy said it failed to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP) or provide procurement guarantees. “The so-called ‘Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana’ covers only 100 districts, leaving Telangana farmers out. The Mission for Cotton Productivity lacks price and procurement assurances, while raising the Kisan Credit Card limit from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh does not help already debt-ridden farmers,” he said.

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“Hyderabad, one of India’s fastest-growing metros, has been denied urban development funds. The long-pending Hyderabad ITIR project, which could have created lakhs of jobs, has been completely scrapped,” he said.

The Minister criticised the lack of funds for public distribution systems (PDS) and welfare schemes amid rising inflation. “The budget does nothing to strengthen food security programs or support subsidised food distribution. The Centre is systematically dismantling welfare schemes that benefit the poor,” he warned.

Telangana contributes 4.5% to India’s GDP but receives only 2.10% of central tax devolution, highlighting the imbalance in allocation. “The southern states collectively contribute over 30% to India’s GDP, yet their share in central taxes has fallen from 21.07% under the Eleventh Finance Commission to just 15.8% under the Fifteenth Finance Commission. Telangana’s growth rate of 9.2% in FY24 – the highest among the top 10 states – has not translated into a fair share of central resources,” he pointed out.

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Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana has faced gross injustice in every Union Budget since 2014. “Last year, we called it a ‘Kursi Bachao Budget’, and this year, it is a ‘Chunav Jeetao Budget’. The Prime Minister has an inherent hatred for Telangana,” he alleged.

He reminded that the Telangana Assembly passed a resolution seeking a revision of the 2024-25 budget, but the Centre ignored it.  

Calling the Union Budget a deceptive document, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the BJP government had once again shown its bias. “This budget is not about development. It is a political speech disguised as policy. Telangana has been cheated again. The people of Telangana will never forgive the BJP for this continued injustice,” he warned. (Maxim News)

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