The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Budget anti-Telangana in its spirit: TRS

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Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Budget anti-Telangana in its spirit: TRS

Special Correspondent

‘No funds in spite of PC directives’

T. Harish Rao

HYDERABAD: T. Harish Rao (Telangana Rashtra Samithi) complained in the Assembly on Thursday that the government had discriminated against Telangana region while allocating funds in the Budget which was anti-Telangana in its spirit.

Debate

Participating in the debate on the Budget, he said the age-old derisive approach in dealing with the problems of Telangana continued in this budget too. Finance Minister K. Rosaiah belied hopes by not earmarking funds to develop a backward area like Telangana in spite of repeated directives by the Planning Commission to allocate special funds to achieve regional balance.

Mr. Rao noted that Members of the 13th Finance Commission had been taken to Ranga Reddy and Medak districts to show the backwardness of the State and secure Central funds that would be spent in other regions.

The step-motherly treatment to the region was such that the Vemana University set up Kadapa district had been allocated Rs. 17 crore while four other new universities in Telangana were earmarked only Rs. 2 crore each.

Intervening, Health Minister D. Nagender lambasted Mr. Harish Rao, saying that the people had taught a fitting lesson to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and yet it was styling itself as though Telangana was its exclusive property.

Akbaruddin Owaisi (MIM), targeting opponents of the proposal to provide political reservation to Muslims, asked “if lesbians and gay persons are assured of their rights why not political reservation for Muslims?”

He criticised Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy for his decision to weed out ration cards, recalling how the latter had opposed when a similar proposal was made by the Channa Reddy government in the past.

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