Telangana Got Nothing in Budget 2026, Alleges Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka

Telangana has once again been treated unfairly by the Centre in the Union Budget, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka alleged on Sunday, expressing strong disappointment over the absence of allocations for the State in the Union Budget 2026–27.

Reacting to the ₹53.47 lakh crore Budget presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Vikramarka said Telangana received “not a single rupee” despite repeated representations made by the State government. He said Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Finance Minister several times, submitting detailed proposals seeking Central support for Telangana’s development.

The Deputy CM said the State had expected Central funding for key projects, including the Musi River rejuvenation, the Regional Ring Road, Hyderabad city development works, Metro Rail expansion and other infrastructure initiatives. However, none of these found mention in the Budget, he said.

Highlighting Telangana’s leadership in the life sciences sector, Vikramarka said bio-pharma discussions inevitably begin with Telangana, particularly Hyderabad, which is globally recognised as a pharmaceutical hub. He recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bharat Biotech supplied vaccines not only across India but to the world. “Yet Telangana did not figure in the Centre’s pharma hub initiatives,” he said.

He also criticised the Centre for excluding Telangana from electronics manufacturing incentives. While ₹40,000 crore has been allocated nationally for electronics, not even a single rupee has been earmarked for Telangana, he said, despite Hyderabad having a well-established electronics ecosystem.

On sports, Vikramarka said the Telangana government has been giving special focus through global summits and the Vision 2047 document, organising international events with world-renowned athletes. “Even in sports, Telangana has been ignored,” he alleged.

Raising concerns over the Orange Economy, the Deputy CM said Hyderabad-centric activities related to audio-visual content, gaming and comics were shifted to Mumbai. “Hyderabad is the country’s biggest centre for these sectors. Ignoring it and choosing Mumbai is completely unjustified. What wrong has Telangana done?” he asked.

Vikramarka further said Telangana is fast emerging as a medical hub, attracting patients from across the country and abroad, but was excluded from the Regional Medical Value Hub initiative. He also termed the omission of Telangana from tourism-related initiatives as unfair, pointing to the State’s UNESCO-recognised Ramappa Temple, Mannanur Tiger Reserve, Kawal Reserve Forest, waterfalls, temples along the Krishna and Godavari riverbanks, and vast forest wealth.

He alleged that the Centre failed to focus on Telangana even in the area of rare earth minerals. Singareni Collieries, he said, is already processing rare earth minerals to extract scandium and lithium at Sathupalli and Ramagundam, yet the State received no support.

Despite the Chief Minister and Industries Minister personally meeting the Prime Minister and seeking approval for a semiconductor unit in Telangana, such projects were granted to other states, reflecting a “step-motherly attitude”, Vikramarka alleged.

The Deputy CM also criticised the Budget for neglecting the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minorities, and warned that undermining the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme would severely affect the rural poor.

Calling for unity, Vikramarka appealed to all Telangana MPs to rise above political differences during the Budget session and submit fresh representations to the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister demanding fair fund allocations for the State.

He also questioned the Centre’s stance on fiscal discipline, noting that while Telangana’s request to allow a fiscal deficit of 4 per cent was denied, the Centre itself has set a fiscal deficit target of 4.3 per cent. “Is Telangana not an integral part of the country?” he asked.