Revanth’s ‘Bade Bhai’ rhetoric faces snub from Centre as Telangana misses out on key projects
Despite Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy's repeated appeals and public efforts to maintain strong ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telangana has once again been left out of major Central initiatives. The Union Cabinet recently approved four semiconductor projects for Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Punjab, but none for Telangana.
Hyderabad: Despite repeated meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Union Ministers, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s claims of maintaining cordial relations with the Centre and his frequent references to the ‘Chote Bhai-Bade Bhai’ bond with Modi have failed to translate into developmental projects for Telangana yet again.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister on Tuesday, approved four more semiconductor projects under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), to Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Punjab, but none to Telangana. It also cleared the Lucknow Metro Rail’s Phase-1B, covering 11.65 km with 12 stations, including seven underground and five elevated.
On May 25, Revanth Reddy had urged the Prime Minister to support Telangana’s bid to emerge as a major hub for the semiconductor ecosystem, stressing that the State’s alignment with the ISM initiative and the PM’s intervention could help generate jobs.
On June 17, he met Union IT and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeking approval for the proposed Advanced System in Package (ASIP) Technologies project and the Micro LED Display Fab project by Crystal Matrix, citing Telangana’s world-class infrastructure and R&D capabilities.
However, the Union Cabinet has now sanctioned the ASIP project to Andhra Pradesh, SiCSem and 3D Glass Solutions to Odisha, and the Continental Device India Private Limited (CDIL) facility to Punjab. Together, these four projects entail investments of around Rs.4,600 crore.
Similarly, the Chief Minister’s request for approval of the Hyderabad Metro Rail’s Phase II, covering 76.4 km at an estimated cost of Rs. 24,269 crore, has been ignored.
The move has strengthened the feeling of discrimination against Telangana, even as Revanth Reddy continues to publicly refer to the Prime Minister as his “Bade Bhai”.
In a recent interview, he said, “In the better interest of my State, I call Prime Minister Bade Bhai as a mark of respect. If he considers me his younger brother, it augurs well for the State.”
However, after making 50 trips to New Delhi since assuming office, the Chief Minister has yet to secure funds or project approvals for the State, drawing sharp criticism from various quarters.
