Telangana Chief Minister Accuses Centre of Withholding Funds, BJP Responds with Criticism

Hyderabad, March 9 (NationPress) As the pressure to meet election commitments intensified on the Congress-led government in Telangana, the conflict with the Centre over fund allocations and disbursal has escalated.

A fierce political battle has emerged between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding the pending projects with the Centre and the assertion that it is not providing sufficient funds.

Recently, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy accused Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy of obstructing projects. This claim was made on February 26 after Revanth Reddy's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he sought the Centre’s endorsement for critical infrastructure projects.

In response to Kishan Reddy's challenge to substantiate his claims, Revanth Reddy alleged that the Union Minister had hindered the Centre’s approval for the second phase of the Hyderabad Metro.

The Chief Minister asserted that Kishan Reddy was motivated by a desire to deny him credit for the project. Revanth Reddy also suggested that the Union Minister was attempting to appease his secret ally and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Dismissing Revanth Reddy’s accusations, Kishan Reddy countered that the Congress government in the state was not cooperating with the Central government in executing various initiatives.

The BJP leader further stated that the Chief Minister was fabricating claims to distract the populace from his government’s failures in fulfilling the promises made during the Assembly elections.

“The Congress expects the Centre to implement six guarantees and 420 promises made during the Assembly elections,” remarked Kishan Reddy, who also serves as the BJP’s state president.

With the BJP winning two out of three MLC seats from graduates' and teachers' constituencies, Kishan Reddy described it as the people's verdict against the Chief Minister's unfounded allegations.

In the midst of this verbal exchange, the State Cabinet decided to gather all MPs from the state to discuss pending projects and funds owed by the Centre and devise a strategy to present them to the Centre and raise them in both Houses of Parliament.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka extended a personal invitation to MPs from all parties, including Kishan Reddy and the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, to attend the meeting. Both the BJP and BRS opted out of the meeting held on March 8.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi was the only MP besides Congress party members who attended the meeting.

“The Government of India is not treating the people of Telangana justly. Despite having eight MPs from the BJP, some of whom are Union Ministers, justice is not being served to Telangana in project sanctions,” Owaisi stated during the meeting.

This gathering of MPs was a strategic effort by Congress to highlight that the BJP and BRS have little interest in addressing state issues with the Centre. The Congress has accused both the BJP Union Ministers from the state and other MPs of the saffron party of failing to secure any benefits for Telangana from the Centre.

The state government also released a booklet detailing pending projects and funds owed by the Centre, along with various representations made.

The meeting reviewed the proposal to submit an adjournment motion in Parliament concerning state issues.

Vikramarka criticized BRS for its negligence over the past decade, stating that despite their efforts over the past year, the Centre has not shown cooperation.

“The state is suffering due to insufficient funding and project approvals by the Centre,” remarked Vikramarka, who is also the finance and energy minister.

He noted that several matters, including the establishment of a steel plant, railway coach factory, and other commitments made under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014, remain unresolved with the Centre.

In January, the Deputy CM reached out to Kishan Reddy to request the Central government’s backing for several pivotal projects in Telangana, vital for the state’s advancement. The total request for these projects amounts to Rs 1,63,559.31 crore.

These initiatives encompass the Regional Ring Road (Rs 34,367.62 crore), radial roads (Rs 45,000 crore), Metro Rail Phase-II (Rs 24,269 crore), Musi Riverfront Development (Rs 4,100 crore), Godavari-Musi River Link (Rs 7,440 crore), Sewerage Master Plan for Hyderabad (Rs 17,212.69 crore), Warangal Underground Drainage (Rs 4,170 crore), Greenfield Highway from Bandar to Dry Port (Rs 17,000 crore), coal block allocation for Singareni Collieries Company Limited, and Semiconductor Mission.

Hours prior to the March 8 meeting, Kishan Reddy sent a letter to the Deputy CM explaining their inability to attend due to prior commitments and the short notice of the meeting.

While the MPs' meeting was underway, Kishan Reddy held a press conference in Hyderabad, alleging that the Revanth Reddy government intends to shift the financial burden of fulfilling Congress's Assembly election promises onto the Centre.

He asserted that the Congress should not instruct the BJP on how to safeguard the interests of the state, claiming that the Centre has invested Rs 10 lakh crore in the last decade for the state’s development.

Kishan Reddy highlighted his efforts to secure the Centre’s approval for some projects, mentioning discussions about the Regional Ring Road project with Union Minister for Highways Nitin Gadkari, urging expedited completion.

The BJP also took credit for the recent Centre's approval for the airport at Mamnoor in Warangal.

Kishan Reddy recently held a joint press conference with Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu in Hyderabad to share insights about the airport project.

The Congress government has been criticizing the BJP for what it claims is the Centre’s bias against Telangana, emphasizing the insufficient allocation for the state in the Union Budget.

Nonetheless, Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar contended that Telangana has received an allocation of Rs 1.08 lakh crore in taxes and schemes in this year's Union Budget.