BRS chief and Leader of Opposition K Chandrasekhar Rao has described the Congress government’s maiden budget as lacking vision. He dubbed the budget as anti-farmer and anti-poor.
KCR, who attended the Assembly session for the first time on Thursday after becoming the Leader of Opposition,said that the budget reflected the government’s indifference to the needs of various sections, particularly farmers and the lower classes.
Speaking at the Assembly media point after the State budget presentation, he lamented that the Congress government had back stabbed the people of Telangana on multiple counts, with no clear policy formulation on any aspect. He said the budget speech lacked substance and sounded more like“storytelling” rather than a well-structured financial plan.
Emphasizing his belief that the budget lacks substance and fails to present any new initiatives, he accused the government of merely reiterating the previous Vikramarka budget without offering any comprehensive understanding of the state’s economy.
“What is the agricultural policy, the industrial policy, the IT policy, or the policy for the poor? There is no clarity in this budget. It sounds more like a platform speech than a budget speech,” he asked.
The BRS chief expressed concern over the lack of support for farmers, mentioning the absence of schemes like Rythu Bharosa in the budget. He stated that by criticising the previous BRS government and accusing its predecessor of misusing funds, the Congress government appeared to be planning to discontinue farm investment support to farmers.
“The Congress government has failed to provide any assurance to farmers regarding the purchase of paddy, supply of free electricity, or provision of water. This government deceived both farmers and individuals practising traditional occupations,” he added.
Rao said the previous BRS government had implemented numerous schemes aimed at the economic development and welfare of all sections. However, he deplored that the Congress government had turned its back on the Yadav, Dalit and fishermen communities, and appeared to have discontinued schemes introduced by the previous BRS government for their socio-economic empowerment.
Highlighting the plight of women, the former Chief Minister pointed out that the promise of interest-free loans up to Rs.1 lakh crore was not new and that the current budget lacked innovative schemes.
He said that the Congress government had no clear policy on crucial sectors such as agriculture, industry, IT, and welfare for the poor even after seven months in administration. “This budget is nothing more than a collection of vague promises without any concrete policy formulation,” he observed.
