Union Budget 2026–27 Ignores Telangana’s Aspirations, Says Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka

Hyderabad, Feb 2026 : Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Sunday strongly criticised the Union Budget 2026–27, alleging that the Centre has once again adopted a discriminatory approach towards Telangana by completely ignoring the State’s developmental needs and aspirations. Reacting to the Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament, he said Telangana had received nothing from the massive outlay of ₹53.47 lakh crore, leaving the State deeply disappointed.

Addressing the media, Vikramarka said the State government had pinned high hopes on the Budget, particularly for central assistance to major infrastructure and development projects. Despite repeated efforts by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Cabinet Ministers and Telangana Members of Parliament—who personally met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Finance Minister and submitted detailed representations—the Budget failed to make any meaningful provision for Telangana.

He pointed out that Telangana had sought allocations for crucial projects such as the Musi River rejuvenation, the Regional Ring Road, Hyderabad city development, Metro Rail expansion, and other large infrastructure initiatives. However, none of these long-pending demands found a place in the Budget, which he described as a clear example of step-motherly treatment.

Vikramarka expressed particular disappointment over the Centre’s neglect of Telangana in sectors where the State has established global leadership. “When bio-pharma is discussed anywhere in the world, the first name that comes to mind is Telangana,” he said, adding that Hyderabad is globally recognised as a pharmaceutical hub. He recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bharat Biotech, based in Hyderabad, supplied vaccines not only to India but to many countries worldwide. Despite this, Telangana was conspicuously absent from the Centre’s pharma hub initiatives announced in the Budget.

He also highlighted the electronics sector, noting that while the Budget earmarked ₹40,000 crore for electronics development, Telangana did not receive even a single rupee. This, he said, was baffling given Hyderabad’s well-developed electronics ecosystem and skilled workforce.

The Deputy Chief Minister further stated that Telangana has been giving special emphasis to sports development. As part of the Global Summit and the Vision 2047 roadmap, the State has organised major sporting events involving world-renowned athletes. Yet, the Centre ignored Telangana even in sports-related initiatives.

Raising concerns over the “Orange Economy,” Vikramarka said Hyderabad-centric activities related to audio-video production, gaming and comics were shifted to Mumbai. “Hyderabad is the largest centre for these sectors. Ignoring it and choosing Mumbai is completely unjustified,” he remarked.

He also pointed out that Hyderabad is rapidly emerging as a major medical hub, attracting patients from across India and abroad. Despite this, Telangana was excluded from the Regional Medical Value Hub initiative. Similarly, he said, the tourism sector in Telangana—home to UNESCO-recognised sites such as the Ramappa Temple, Mannanur Tiger Reserve, Kawal Reserve Forest, waterfalls, historic temples along the Krishna and Godavari riverbanks, and rich forest landscapes—was overlooked.

Vikramarka criticised the Centre for not focusing on Telangana even in the rare earth minerals sector. He noted that Singareni Collieries is already processing rare earth minerals to extract scandium and lithium in Sathupalli and Ramagundam, yet the State received no support.

Despite the Chief Minister and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu personally requesting approval for a semiconductor unit, such projects were sanctioned to other states, he said, alleging blatant discrimination.

The Deputy CM also expressed concern that the Budget failed to address the welfare of SCs, STs and minorities, and accused the Centre of undermining the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, which would severely affect the rural poor.

Appealing to all Telangana MPs, Vikramarka urged them to rise above political differences and collectively seek justice for the State by submitting representations to the Prime Minister and Finance Minister. He also questioned the Centre’s refusal to allow Telangana a fiscal deficit of 4 per cent when the Union itself has set a deficit of 4.3 per cent, asking pointedly, “Is Telangana not an integral part of the country?”