#BJPFailedTelangana Trends on Twitter: ‘Left Out in the Cold in Budget 2023’, Say Opposition Parties

It is clear what Telangana feels about the Union Budget 2023: #BJPfailedTelangana is trending on Twitter while a poster saying ‘Telangana Gets Zero in Union Budget’ is doing the rounds on social media.

Leaders of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Congress have reacted strongly to the new budget for leaving Telangana out in the cold while extending financial assistance to poll-bound Karnataka.

“If the government wants ‘sabka saath’ then why does it not believe in keeping each state on an equal footing? I am happy that Karnataka’s Upper Bhadra project received Rs 5,300 crore but why was Telangana’s ‘Mission Bhagiratha’ not considered for any investment despite recommendations by Niti Aayog?” asked MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha, who is the daughter of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Health minister T Harish Rao, who is KCR’s nephew, called the budget “anti-farmer and anti-poor”. “Massive cuts in food security funding for the poor. Rs 2,87,194 crore were allocated in 2022-23, but this time it has been reduced to Rs 1,97,350 crore. This means, Rs 89,844 crore has been cut for food subsidy in this budget. This is a 31 percent cut in funding as compared to last year,” he said.

He added: “While the Centre has sanctioned 157 medical colleges to different states, not a single one has been given to Telangana. Moreover, it has now announced that nursing colleges will also be given to areas given by 157 medical colleges earlier. This means that the Centre, which had shown a stubborn hand to Telangana in the past regarding medical colleges, is once again showing the same to Telangana in this matter. Telangana has been severely wronged.”

Kavitha said Telangana and some states not ruled by the BJP or those that were not poll-bound found no mention in the budget, and that everybody now understood this pattern.

“It has been stipulated that 0.5 percent FRBM (fiscal responsibility and budget management) will be allowed only if power reforms are implemented. That is, they said that they should install borehole meters and send the bill to farmers’ homes. It is known that our state has already categorically said it will not install meters. This means that another Rs 6,000 crore will be lost due to this provision,” Rao said.

Joining the chorus with its political rival, the Congress, too, agreed that Telangana had been neglected in the budget. Telangana Congress chief A Revanth Reddy said: “The fifth budget presented by union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is a major disappointment. Huge injustice is being done to Telangana… Promises like Bayyaram steel factory, Kazipet railway factory and national status for any irrigation project mentioned in the bifurcation act have been ignored in the budget.”

He also recalled that there was no mention of the ITIR (information technology investment region) project proposed by the Congress in the past. “Mr (Narendra) Modi, you will bring the bullet train and necessary funds to Gujarat but you are not the CM of Gujarat, but the prime minister of this country,” Reddy said.

He demanded equal priority to Telangana as Gujarat in the allocation of funds. He said the BRS stood helplessly in the House when Modi was meting out this injustice.

“KCR is in nexus with Modi to cover up his corruption. The BRS is trying to wash away its sins of boycotting the President’s speech but is not taking any initiative to bring in funds,” he said, questioning as to why Modi, who has complete faith in the parliamentary system, was ignoring promises made in parliament as per the reorganisation act for the development of Telangana.

Chief of YSRTP (YSR Telangana Party), YS Sharmila said the BRS and BJP were a curse to the people of Telangana as the state had once again been ignored in the budget.

“This time, too, the guarantees in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act were ignored. Kazipet coach factory, Bayyaram steel industry and Mulugu tribal university are not mentioned. Even the creation of two crore jobs in the country is not visible,” she added.

BJP hails budget

Leaders of the state BJP hailed the budget as a practical one. Huzurabad MLA Eatala Rajender said: “Inflation has been brought down to 6.2 percent from 9.5 percent during coronavirus. (Finance minister) Nirmala Sitharaman said they will work hard to bring it to 4 percent. Rs 13 lakh crore have been allocated for capital expenditure along with railways. It is employment for the youth and progress for the country.”

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