Telangana neglected in Union Budget, says Congress

 Telangana | Written by : IANS Updated: Tue, Feb 02, 2021, 12:24 PM

Hyderabad, Feb  (IANS) Telangana Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday said the Centre neglected the state in Union Budget 2021-22.

He termed the budget as highly disappointing and said Telangana remained neglected in fund allocations.

"BJP government is misusing public exchequer for political gains. More allocations were made for election-bound states while other states were totally neglected," said Reddy, also a member of Lok Sabha.

"BJP government has failed to ensure equitable distribution of resources among all states. This is a wrong practice and if it continues, then all states will get new projects and funds only during election years," he added.

Another Congress MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy said the Centre and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman turned a blind eye towards Telangana.

He said no special assistance has been granted to Telangana, which was badly hit by the unplanned lockdown in 2020. He alleged that the spirit of cooperative federalism has been withered by Modi government.

Interestingly there was no reaction from the state government or ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to the Union Budget till late in the night.

Unlike in the past when Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao used to issue statements after presentation of budgets, there was no reaction from him on Monday.

Chief Minister's son and Industry Minister K.T. Rama Rao, who frequently takes to Twitter to react to important developments, was also silent.

The budget is a huge disappointment for Rama Rao as he had written letters to the Central ministers over last few weeks seeking allocations for various projects proposed or undertaken by the state.

Last week, Rama Rao recalled that he wrote numerous letters to the Centre regarding the need for industrial corridors between Hyderabad- Nagpur, Hyderabad-Warangal and Hyderabad-Ramagundam and sought support for the Pharma City and the Warangal Textile Park. He also commented that the Central ministers were paying mere lip service by praising Telangana for its various achievements but not making the allocations.

Meanwhile, state BJP chief Bandi Sanjay termed Union Budget a brilliant Budget beneficial to every citizen of India. He tweeted that the Budget is filled with optimism and is a statement of promise for inclusive growth towards 'Sab ka Vishwas.'

He thanked Prime Minister and the Finance Minister for unleashing fiscal plan towards making a resurgent India.