HYDERABAD: Stating that Telangana has suffered “severe injustice” in the last 11 Union Budgets, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said that they were waiting to see whether the Centre would bring “light or darkness” to the state through the budget scheduled to be presented on Pournami (the full moon day).
Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Saturday, he demanded that the Centre allocate substantially higher funds to the state in the forthcoming Budget for key infrastructure projects, including a dry port, temple tourism initiatives and airport development.
Pointing out that Telangana sent eight MPs from the BJP to the Lok Sabha, the minister said the Union government was duty-bound to be more responsive to the state’s financial needs. He urged Telangana BJP MPs to exert pressure on the Centre to secure adequate allocations.
Stating that the state government had already conveyed its requirements and priorities to the Centre, he said, “despite meeting senior Central leaders regularly and submitting representations, discrimination continues in fund allocation.”
Prabhakar also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had opposed the formation of Telangana, and said this attitude was reflected in successive Budgets.
Warning of political accountability, the minister said that if Telangana was once again denied its due share, the eight BJP MPs elected from the state would have to take responsibility.