Hyderabad: BC welfare minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Saturday claimed that Telangana had suffered injustice in the allocation of funds and project approvals in the last 11 Union Budgets presented by the BJP govt.Speaking to reporters at Gandhi Bhavan, Ponnam said that despite the people of Telangana voting eight BJP candidates to victory as Lok Sabha MPs, and two of them being appointed to Union ministry portfolios, the BJP-led central govt had consistently neglected Telangana in the Union Budget since 2014. He urged the Centre to ensure justice for Telangana in the Union Budget 2026–27.He said that protests had been held over the perceived injustice to Telangana, and that chief minister A Revanth Reddy and nearly all ministers had met either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union ministers to submit representations seeking project approvals, sanction of funds, central support, and a fair share of central fund allocations.Ponnam said the Telangana govt was again requesting the Centre to allocate funds for projects including the Regional Ring Road (RRR), radial roads, Musi rejuvenation, Metro Rail expansion, the Hyderabad–Rajahmundry Port Greenfield Highway, approval of regional airports and railway lines, and special funds for Telangana’s development as part of the Telangana Rising Vision 2047 under Viksit Bharat. He also called for the establishment of central schools and Navodaya Vidyalayas in the state.He criticised the previous BRS govt for not maintaining cordial relations with the Centre, which he described as essential in a federal setup, and said the current Congress govt believed in cooperative federalism. He emphasised that Telangana was not opposing fund allocations to other states, but alleged that the Centre had not provided Telangana with the funds it deserved relative to the revenue it contributed in taxes, adding that such discrimination should not exist in a federal system.Referring to the Union Budget to be presented on Sunday, Ponnam said the people of Telangana were distressed, feeling they were being discriminated against. He said that if Telangana was neglected once again, MPs elected from the state should raise their voices in Parliament, calling for a united fight for Telangana’s interests, citing Tamil Nadu MPs as an example for working across party lines to secure their state’s interests.
