IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu criticised the Union Budget 2026-27 stating that it ran contrary to the spirit of the Constitution and weakened the principles of cooperative federalism.
Telangana, which contributes more than 5% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) did not find mention even once in the Budget speech. The omission is disappointing and reflective of a discriminatory approach towards the State, he said in a release on Sunday.
The Centre has displayed political bias in financial allocations, he alleged, adding the ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ slogan appeared inconsistent with the treatment of Telangana. Although the State was expected to receive ₹22,782 crore as Central grants in the current financial year, ₹4,000 crore has been released thus far, the Minister said.
The Constitution envisages an equitable distribution of resources between the Union and the States, Mr. Sridhar Babu said, adding that the present Budget weakened the framework of cooperative federalism. He also expressed disappointment over the Centre’s failure to allocate funds for key infrastructure projects sought by the State, including the Regional Ring Road, Metro Rail Phase-II, the Godavari–Musi river linkage, improved rail connectivity, new airports and pending commitments under the State Reorganisation Act.
Published – February 01, 2026 09:04 pm IST
