BRS demands pro-poor, pro-farmer budget from Centre

The Telangana Government has been appealing for national status to any of the irrigation projects but it was not considered.

Nizamabad: The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has demanded the BJP-led Union Government to present a pro-poor and pro-farmer budget and not a pro-corporate friendly budget on February 1, besides fulfilling all the assurances made to Telangana.

Taking a cue from the Telangana Government, the BJP government should allocate sufficient funds for PM Kisan programme and extend Rs.5000 financial assistance per acre to farmers per crop. It should also extend free power to farming community, BRS working president and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao demanded.

“Since this is going to be last budget presented by the BJP government at the Centre, I demand Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider all the requests made by the Telangana Government and prove his commitment towards Telangana,” Rama Rao said at a press conference here on Saturday.

The Telangana Government has been appealing for national status to any of the irrigation projects but it was not considered. Not a single education institution was sanctioned to the State and a turmeric board was denied to Nizamabad. Already, the State Government had submitted its requisitions in detail to the Centre, he said.

In contrast, the BJP leaders here were making baseless allegations that Telangana was debt ridden. Prior to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 14 Prime Ministers had obtained loans of Rs.56 lakh crore in the last 67 years and Narendra Modi alone incurred a debt of Rs.100 lakh crore in just eight years, he said.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has been exposing the opportunistic politics of the BJP. The Modi Government was against farmers welfare, he said, pointing out that the BJP-led Union government had waived off Rs.12 lakh crore corporate loans but was not willing to extend free power to farming community.

In the last eight years, the Telangana government had spent Rs.65,000 crore towards the Rythu Bandhu scheme, Kaleshwaram project was constructed, 24 hours free power supply was being extended to the farmers, Mission Bhagiratha was taken up and many other developmental works were executed.

Under the BJP Government’s rule, inflation had gone up, prices of essential commodities had escalated and so did the fuel prices.

In 2014, a litre of petrol was costing Rs.70 and the crude oil price per barrel in international market was 94 US dollars. In 2023, a litre of petrol was costing Rs.110, despite the crude oil price dropping to 90 US dollars. The Union Government had amassed Rs.30 lakh crore through cess on fuel in the last 8.5 years, he explained.

Making light of the BJP leaders’ claim that Prime Minister had successfully stopped the Russia-Ukraine war, the BRS working president pointed out the neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra Governments were at war.

Since the last two months, both the BJP ruled States were at loggerheads over the jurisdiction of nearly 200 villages and yet the Prime Minister had not bothered to resolve the issue, he said.

Warning the BJP leaders to mend their ways and desist from personal abuse, the BRS working president said BRS leaders had the capability to respond equally using abusive language.

“We have respect for senior Congress leader D Srinivas but his son and BJP MP Aravind should mind his language. I urge him to prevail upon the Union Government and get Rs.1000 crore for development of Nizamabad, we will welcome him,” Rama Rao said.

In the last 8.5 years, the Telangana Government has spent Rs. 930 crore towards execution of different development works in Nizamabad. This apart, additional Rs. 100 crore would be spent in the next six to nine months towards Kala Bharathi, laying CC roads and drainage network, pavements, dhobi ghats and other works, he informed.