Budget 2024: Telangana was handed a ‘big zero’ in Union Budget for 11th year, says BRS leader KTR

BRS leader KTR said that Telangana received no funds in Union Budget 2024, despite repeated requests, highlighting the State's neglect by the Centre.

Working president of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) K.T. Rama Rao has stated that Telangana has received a “big zero” this time too in the Union Budget 2024, as the Centre has been doing it for the last 10 years.

Reacting to the Budget presented in the Parliament by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, he said: “We hoped that the daughter-in-law of Telugu States would allocate significant funds to Telangana in the budget. But what we got is nothing. It is disappointing that Telangana has not found even a mention in her entire budget speech”.

He stated that then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had requested the Centre in the past to take decisions on nearly 35 promises made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. Several letters were written and appeals were made personally, whenever there was an opportunity. But, there was no mention of additional funds for Mulugu University, setting up the Bayyaram Steel Factory and Railway Coach Factory at Kazipet.

Despite the Telangana Government’s requests, national status had not been granted to any irrigation projects in the State and there was no response even for pleas made for national institutes such as IIM, for industrial corridors from Mumbai-Nagpur-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Bengaluru and Hyderabad-Chennai. Even the request for the establishment of a new handloom cluster along with a mega power loom cluster, was overlooked, he said.

The requests made by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and other Ministers from Telangana too were ignored. Asking the people of Telangana to think about the result of giving eight Lok Sabha seats each to Congress and BJP, he reiterated that a separate political identity with a regional party for the State would protect the State’s interests. He cited the examples of Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, which were given ample funds.

Mr. Rama Rao said BJP and Congress MPs sat in Parliament withoututtering a word on behalf of Telangana. Had there been MPs from BRS, they would have strongly opposed the injustice meted out to the State for 11 years, he said. Stating that they have no issue with the funds given to AP, the BRS leader said the demands of Telangana were ignored even after mentioning the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act by the Finance Minister.