Union Budget a big let-down for Telangana, says KT Rama Rao

Hyderabad: Information Technology Minister K T Rama Rao on Wednesday lashed out at the Union Budget, calling it a huge let down for Telangana and warned that the BJP should be prepared to face the consequences in the 2019 elections.

In an informal chat with the media at his Begumpet camp office, he said sarcastically, “The amount of love the BJP has shown towards Telangana in the Budget will be returned to the BJP equally by Telangana voters in the 2019 elections.”

Mr Rao said the Budget does not satisfy even the National Demo-cratic Alliance’s allies, let alone states like Telangana that are not part of the NDA.

He said that the 2019 elections in Telangana will be fought on the single issue of whether people want K. Chandrasekhar Rao to continue as Chief Minister or not.

Mr Rao said he hates the Congress because it failed to provide even basic amenities to people in its 55-year rule in Independent India, and added that had KCR merged the TRS with the Congress in 2014, he would have taken “political sanyas” as he had informed his wife. He will still do so if the TRS fails to retain power in 2019, he said.  

“No one in India can understand whose purpose this Union Budget serves. BJP leaders in private conversations are also venting their anger at this. NDA allies like the TD are openly fighting against the Budget in Parliament,” he said.

He will be in Delhi on Wednesday to meet ministers concerned to seek justice for Telangana. But when they cannot satisfy even their NDA partners, there is no hope that they will oblige us, he said, “but still it’s my responsibility to bring our concerns to their notice.”

Mr Rao made light of the changing political equations in TS in the wake of Prof Kodandaram and others announcing the formation of new parties and grand alliances.

“No political equations or alliance will have any significance in the 2019 Assembly polls. The only poll issue will be whether people want KCR to continue as CM or not. The reported poor performance of some ministers and TRS MLAs will also be ignored as people either vote for KCR as CM or not,” Mr Rao said.

He was confident that the TRS will win with an even bigger majority in 2019 and repeat its GHMC and byelection performances.