Congress questions KCR's silence on Union Budget

Hyderabad: The Congress party has questioned the silence of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao over injustice done to Telangana State in the Interim Union Budget 2019-20.

"KCR is among a few Chief Ministers who did not express their views directly on the BJP Government's interim budget. A few TRS leaders issued formal statements while the Chief Minister himself chose to remain silent," alleged Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Treasurer Gudur Narayana Reddy in a media statement on Monday. He said KCR should have addressed a press conference immediately after the presentation of interim budget on 1st February. But the Chief Minister not only maintained silence, but making serious attempts to divert people's attention to other issues, he alleged.

Gudur Narayana Reddy demanded that the Chief Minister adopt a 'loud tone' from the present 'whispering tone' in speaking against Prime Minister Narender Modi and his government. "Telangana did not get its due share in all the Union Budgets presented by the BJP Government. None of the promises made with Telangana in Andhra Pradesh Reorganistaion Act have been fulfilled. Railway Coach Factory at Qazipet, Steel Plant at Bayyaram or other Central projects remained a non-starter. Despite the recommendation by the NITI Ayog, Telangana was denied funds for Mission Bhagiratha, Mission Kakatiya and Kaleshwaram project. But KCR never gathered courage to register strong protest against the Modi Government," he said.

The Congress leader said that TRS leaders were feeling elated by claiming that the Centre has copied its Rythu Bandhu scheme by offering investment support to farmers. He said that the Congress party has pointed out on several occasions that the Rythu Bandhu scheme itself was not comprehensive and does not cover all farmers, especially the tenant farmers. Further, he said that the Central Government's proposed income support scheme promising Rs. 6,000 to farmers holding less than 5 acres of land was erratic and it could be well described as 'Too Little and Too Late'. He said the way KCR Govt tried to lure farmers by launching Rythu Bandhu scheme a few months before Assembly elections, Modi Govt too introduced the scheme with less than three months left for General Elections. He said if both TRS and BJP Governments were sincere towards farmers, then they would launched this schemes in the first or second year of their regimes.

Gudur Narayana Reddy said that the KCR's silence against the Centre clearly shows that he was pro-Modi and pro-BJP. He dared KCR to hold protest against the BJP Government for the injustices it did with Telangana during the last five years. He demanded that KCR present a statistical report on year-wise funds released by the Centre as against the demand made by the Telangana Government.