Andhra Pradesh’s political parties except the BJP and Jana Sena opposed the Union Budget presented in Parliament on Monday. YSRCP MP Vijay Sai Reddy deplored that the Centre gave step-motherly treatment to Andhra Pradesh.
“The Centre has shown an empty hand to Andhra Pradesh in the Union budget. It appears to be an election-oriented budget meant for Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Bengal to appease the people in those states that are going to elections shortly. It’s of no use for AP. No Aatmanirbhar for our state. It’s like step motherly treatment to Andhra. No mention of metro trains for Vijayawada and Vizag. At least one NIV, textile park, Kendriya vidyalaya in every district (26 ) should be set up. We need revivalist budget not a survivalist budget in this time of covid 19 crisis.” YSRCP parliamentary party Chief Vijay Sai Reddy said.
Stating that Andhra Pradesh has been asking for the sanction of metro rail project for the state for the last six years, the YSRC leader said the Centre did not even consider it, but granted massive funds for metro rail projects for Chennai, Kochi and Bengaluru, where elections are due shortly. He said not a single railway project worth mentioning was allocated to Andhra Pradesh and the only corridor that connects the state was sanctioned which is of no use to the state.
There was no mention of Kisan Rails to the state, he said. Vijay Sai Reddy also criticised the Centre for not talking about payment of arrears to the state to the extent of Rs 4,000 crore towards paddy procurement. Similarly, the budget did not talk about setting up of central universities in the state and release of funds for employment guarantee schemes, he said. The TDP also objected to the manner in which the Amaravati Capital City project was also neglected in this year’s budget. TDP senior leader Gorantla Buchaih Chowdary said, “No mention of approving revised cost estimates of the Polavaram Project. The Modi government did not consider the Union Budget is important to AP.”