Telangana CM Reddy Criticizes Union Budget: Labels 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' a Bogus Slogan

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy criticized the Union Budget, calling the 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' slogan bogus, and accused the Centre of neglecting Telangana's development. He urged Union Minister G Kishan Reddy to apologize and resign over the alleged injustice and called for bipartisan support in protests against the budget.

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy launched a scathing attack on the Central Government over the recently released Union Budget, calling the 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' slogan a "bogus" pretense. In a press meeting held at his Jubilee Hills residence in Hyderabad, CM Reddy stated, "This budget appears to be more about saving the chair than about development. Except for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, no state, including Telangana, has received any significant allocation. Despite Telangana giving 35 percent of its votes to the BJP and securing 8 Parliament seats, the state has been overlooked," he said.

Reflecting on his recent meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, CM Reddy lamented the lack of support for Telangana's developmental projects. "The attitude of the Centre towards Telangana is evident in this budget. Even after multiple visits to Delhi and meetings with PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and other top leaders, justice has not been served," CM Reddy remarked. He underscored the need for Prime Minister Modi to act like an elder brother to ensure Telangana receives its rightful dues, emphasizing the reorganization aspects related to Telangana, including funds for the Music River development.

CM Reddy further stressed Hyderabad's importance to India's ambition of becoming the 5th largest global economy. "Hyderabad, one of India's five metropolises, needs development support which was absent in this budget. Projects like the metro, RRR road, and ITIR corridor were ignored," he said. Criticizing Prime Minister Modi for allegedly overlooking Telangana in the pursuit of a developed India, he charged the BJP with enacting "revenge" on Telangana despite the state's significant support. CM Reddy also called out Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy, demanding that he answer for the alleged budgetary injustice against Telangana, and urged him to resign. The CM announced plans for a legislative assembly discussion on the budgetary allocations, demanding Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman release funds for crucial projects such as the Bayyaram steel plant and the Hyderabad metro.

(With inputs from agencies.)