Harish Rao ridicules Union Budget 2025-26, calls it betrayal of Telangana

He criticised Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for presenting a budget that caters to select States, questioning the BJP's idea of Vikasit Bharat (Developed India)

Hyderabad: Former Finance Minister T Harish Rao launched a scathing attack on the BJP government at the Centre for neglecting Telangana in the Union Budget 2025-26, presented in the Parliament on Saturday, while prioritising States heading for elections.

He criticised Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for presenting a budget that caters to select States, questioning the BJP’s idea of Vikasit Bharat (Developed India).

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“This is not a Union Budget; it is the budget of just three or four States. The Centre has been consistently using the budget as a political tool, and Telangana has once again been ignored,” he stated.

In a statement, Harish Rao questioned whether future budgets would also continue to favour only poll-bound States, citing past allocations to Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, and Bihar while wondering if Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat would receive similar benefits in upcoming years.

Pointing to Telangana’s 5.1 per cent contribution to the national GDP, he said the State had been cheated once again. He slammed the Centre for failing to fulfill its promises under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, including funds for the tribal university.

He also accused the Congress government in Telangana of failing to secure funds, ridiculing Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Telangana Congress MPs for their repeated Delhi visits without results.

“The Chief Minister and his Ministers woke up from deep slumber just 10 days before the budget presentation and sought Rs 40,000 crore for various development programmes. They went to Delhi for at least 30 times, but with no benefit for the State in the fresh Union Budget,” he said, pointing out that Telangana gave eight MPs each for both the BJP and the Congress.

Harish Rao pointed to Bihar’s preferential treatment, with Rs 26,000 crore in aid, a 2,400 MW power plant, industrial corridors, new airports, and IIT Patna’s expansion, while Telangana was left with nothing.

He alleged that BJP and Congress MPs had mortgaged Telangana’s interests for political gain and reaffirmed that only the BRS was committed to protecting the state’s rights.