Telangana Congress Alleges ‘Step-Motherly Treatment’ in Union Budget

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mall Bhatti Vikramarka launched a sharp attack on the Union Government, calling the 2026–27 Union Budget a major disappointment that has “completely ignored Telangana’s needs.” He said repeated representations made by the state delegation under Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to the Prime Minister and Union Finance Minister yielded no results, as none of the state’s key proposals were reflected in the budget. According to Bhatti, this reflects a continuing pattern of discrimination against Telangana , despite the state’s strong economic contribution and performance in key growth sectors .

The Deputy CM objected strongly to Hyderabad being left out of major national-level sectoral pushes. He said the city, which earned global recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic for vaccine production and is a leading pharmaceutical and life sciences hub , was ignored in pharma-related expansion plans. He also questioned why Hyderabad, now a fast-growing centre for animation, gaming, VFX, and digital media was not prioritised under the Centre’s Orange Economy focus, suggesting that such decisions indicate bias in favour of other metropolitan cities. He further expressed concern that Telangana did not find mention in proposed Regional Medical Value Hubs , despite its rapidly expanding healthcare infrastructure and medical tourism potential.

Bhatti also criticised the Centre for overlooking Telangana’s cultural and tourism significance. He pointed out that globally recognised heritage and cultural sites such as the UNESCO-listed Ramappa Temple and the internationally known Medaram Jatara were not included in national tourism development packages . He alleged that Telangana’s proposals in emerging sectors like semiconductors were ignored, which he said would affect future employment opportunities for youth . The Deputy CM added that the contributions of Singareni Collieries Company Limited in exploring rare earth and mineral potential were also not acknowledged.

Raising concerns about welfare, Bhatti accused the Centre of neglecting SC, ST, and minority welfare funding and of not strengthening allocations for rural employment programmes that support economically vulnerable households. He argued that while the Union government increased its own fiscal deficit flexibility, states were kept under tighter borrowing limits, which he described as contrary to the spirit of cooperative federalism . Telangana, he said, has set an ambitious target of becoming a $3 trillion economy by 2047 , and the lack of central support could hinder both state and national development goals. He called on all MPs from Telangana, cutting across party lines, to raise the issue in Parliament and demand justice for the state.

Meanwhile, K. Kavitha criticised the budget, saying Telangana had once again received “zero.” She alleged that key urban infrastructure projects including the Regional Ring Road, national highways, radial roads, airport expansion, and railway lines remain stuck at proposal or approval stages. She said funding for urban development has slowed and that major educational proposals such as IIM Hyderabad, Navodaya schools, and Kendriya Vidyalayas were not approved. She also pointed to delays in Metro Phase-2 funding, energy sector support, and industrial incentives, arguing that these omissions show a lack of commitment to Telangana’s growth. Kavitha said cooperative federalism requires equitable treatment of all states and accused the Centre of consistently sidelining Telangana’s development priorities.