Irrigation minister Uttam Kumar Reddy criticises Union Budget 2025-26 as anti-farmer & anti-poor

Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday slammed the Union Budget 2025-26, calling it anti-farmer, anti-poor, and a betrayal of Telangana by the BJP-led central govt. He accused the BJP govt of crafting the budget with an eye on upcoming elections, favouring Bihar and Delhi while ignoring Telangana and other non-election states.
"Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman opened her budget speech with a quote from the legendary Telugu poet ,Gurajada Appa Rao: 'Desamante Matti Kaadoi, Desamante Manushuloi'—'A country is not just its soil, a country is its people.' Ironically, while drawing strength from the words of a Telugu poet, she chose to completely overlook the Telugu state of Telangana in her budget, exposing the BJP govt's politically motivated approach to financial allocations," he said.
Uttam listed several unfulfilled commitments made under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014. They include Bayyaram steel plant, Kazipet railway coach factory, a tribal university, national status for the Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation project, and the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) for Hyderabad. "Telangana has been seeking these projects for a decade, yet the BJP govt has repeatedly turned a blind eye," he said.
The irrigtion minister accused BJP of using the budget as a political tool, directing funds towards election-bound states. "A Makhana Board, a Food Technology Institute, a Greenfield Airport, and an irrigation project have been announced for Bihar, but Telangana, which contributes 4.5% to India's GDP, has been ignored. Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,' but this budget exposes his real strategy - Vikas only for election-bound states," he said.
"If the Centre can sanction irrigation projects in Bihar and other states, why has it refused to grant national status to the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project, which is Telangana's lifeline?" he questioned.
Calling the budget anti-farmer, Uttam Kumar Reddy said it failed to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP) or provide procurement guarantees. "The so-called ‘Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana' covers only 100 districts, leaving Telangana farmers out. The Mission for Cotton Productivity lacks price and procurement assurances, while raising the Kisan Credit Card limit from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh does not help already debt-ridden farmers," he said.
"Hyderabad, one of India's fastest-growing metros, has been denied urban development funds. The long-pending Hyderabad ITIR project, which could have created lakhs of jobs, has been completely scrapped," he said.
Uttam also said: "Last year, we called it a ‘Kursi Bachao Budget', and this year, it is a ‘Chunav Jeetao Budget'. The Prime Minister has an inherent hatred for Telangana. The state contributes 4.5% to India's GDP but receives only 2.10% of central tax devolution, highlighting the imbalance in allocation. The southern states collectively contribute over 30% to India's GDP, yet their share in central taxes has fallen from 21.07% under the Eleventh Finance Commission to just 15.8% under the Fifteenth Finance Commission. Telangana's growth rate of 9.2% in FY24 - the highest among the top 10 states - has not translated into a fair share of central resources," he pointed out.