The reply by Finance Minister Eatala Rajender to the general discussion on the budget for 2014-15 that was originally slated for Thursday evening in the Telangana Legislative Assembly was put off by a day, as members from the treasury and Opposition benches got an opportunity to air their views on the State’s first budget.
After a ruckus for over four hours in the morning, leading to the suspension of TDP members, it was the turn of Congress MLA Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, N.V.S.S. Prabhakar (BJP), Jalagam Venkat Rao and Anjaiah (TRS) to speak.
Mr. Vikramarka in his 100-minutes address, while appreciating some initiatives, did not mince words describing the fiscal exercise as ‘one that sought to weave magic with sheer numbers’ but said that many of the allocations were far from reality, while some lacked clarity.
Mr. Prabhakar said that every point raised by the Opposition during the entire discussion was valid and that the government had to reply to all of them. While the government went to town with Rs. 1 lakh-plus budget, promising the reconstruction of the fledgling State and in pursuance of a ‘Golden Telangana’, he said the allocations did not reflect the promises.
