Revanth Reddy has strongly voiced his disappointment, claiming that Telangana has been left out of the Union Budget. "The NDA government espoused a vindictive attitude towards Telangana," said the Chief Minister, pointing to a glaring omission of the state’s name throughout the budget speech.
Reddy had appealed to the Prime Minister to maintain a cooperative relationship between the Centre and the state, urging him to act as an elder brother to foster Telangana’s development. “I requested him to allocate funds without discrimination,” he emphasized. Despite these appeals, Reddy lamented, “The word Telangana was banned in the entire Budget. The Centre does not like to utter Telangana. Telangana’s people never expected the Centre to pursue a vindictive approach against the state.”
The Chief Minister announced that the state assembly would debate the perceived injustices, aiming to expose political conspiracies involving other parties. “The Centre is discriminating against southern states. If this continues, we are ready to launch another movement,” he warned.
Reddy criticized the budget for providing funds to Andhra Pradesh under the AP Reorganisation Act while ignoring Telangana. He called out the slogan 'Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas' as bogus, arguing, “The Prime Minister is not considering Telangana a part of Viksit Bharat,” Reddy said pointing that except for Bihar and Andhra, no funds were allocated for any state's development.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not mention Telangana even once in her budget speech, a fact that Reddy finds deeply concerning. “Our expectations were realistic but still we hoped for justice. After a decade of being shortchanged between the BRS-led state government and the BJP-led Centre, we had hopes that there would be introspection and change in BJP’s attitude after a telling 2024 verdict. This was not to be,” he remarked.
Highlighting the lack of substantial benefits for key stakeholders such as the poor, women, youth, and farmers, Reddy criticized the allocation for agriculture, questioning how ₹1.52 lakh crore could cover half the input costs for all farmers amid inflation. He called the announcement of giving 50% margin over cost a meaningless slogan and questioned the feasibility of transitioning 10 million farmers to natural or organic farming within two years.
Reddy also took aim at the Economic Survey for unfairly shifting the responsibility of job creation onto the private sector and accused the finance minister of copying Congress’s job internship idea without understanding its intent. He criticized the government’s failure to address the root causes of declining private sector investments and the neglect of the Skill India initiative.
As for Telangana, Reddy highlighted the unfulfilled promise of creating an Information Technology Investment Region for the Hyderabad-Bengaluru corridor. “Lip service and false hope might be BJP’s recipe for breakfast, or lunch, but by dinner, we need something real,” he said.
Reddy argued that the middle class, like Telangana, got a raw deal in the budget, with almost no income tax relief and a disappointing increase in capital gains tax. He criticized the government for viewing the middle class as a source of revenue rather than a powerful engine for growth. He also lamented the lack of GST relief on crucial agricultural and educational items, which further burdens the states.
The budget, according to Reddy, lacks vision and focus, failing to address the trade deficit with China or provide a roadmap for making India a global manufacturing hub. “With neither vision nor focus, this budget is a failed trick, trying to deflect attention,” he declared, branding it an utter flop characterized by tax terrorism and blatant disregard for Telangana’s aspirations. “We deserved a lot, we hoped for a few bits, we got nothing,” he wrote in the Economic Times. Reddy said none of the state’s projects or rightful dues were considered. From the ITIR project and Hyderabad Metro expansion to leather and textile parks and regional ring roads, every major expectation was overlooked, he claimed.