Hyderabad: Telangana Jagruti president Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Sunday said the Union Budget 2026 had neglected Telangana, exposing what she called the reality behind the Centre’s claims of stability, discipline, growth, and people-first governance.
Reacting to the budget on X, Kavitha said Telangana once again received nothing. She said the Centre kept earlier promises pending and described this as the 12th consecutive Union Budget where denial was projected as fiscal discipline.
According to her, the slogan masked the situation faced by Telangana. She alleged that the Centre normalised neglect in the name of budgetary discipline.
Union Budget 2026 draws sharp criticism from Kavitha
Highlighting urban issues, Kavitha said the Centre stalled municipal and urban development funds. She added that major infrastructure projects remained frozen, including the Regional Ring Road with an estimated cost of ₹34,367 crore, along with highways, radial roads, and airport proposals.
On rail connectivity, she said new railway lines remained stuck at the clearance stage. Turning to education, she alleged that the Centre denied Hyderabad an IIM, along with 16 Navodaya schools and nine Kendriya Vidyalayas.
She said job creation also suffered, citing the shelving of the Warangal Coach Factory. She further alleged that the Centre announced irrigation, housing, and growth projects without allocating funds in the Union Budget 2026.
Referring to statutory commitments, Kavitha said the Centre continued to delay obligations under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. She added that the Centre failed to release its 50 per cent share for the Metro Phase-II joint venture.
On energy and industry, she said the Centre halted support measures for Telangana. She also alleged that industrial incentives remained denied.
Pointing to political representation, Kavitha said Telangana sent eight BJP MPs to Parliament. In return, she alleged, the state received no funds, only pending files.
She said this reflected the failure of cooperative federalism. According to her, the Centre pushed Telangana to the back of the queue. She added that the trend reinforced what she termed the continuation of “Zero for Telangana” in the Union Budget 2026.
FM claims the Centre chose “stability, discipline, growth & people over populism.”
For Telangana, Budget 2026 reveals the reality behind the slogan.
What was GIVEN: nothing.
What was PROMISED: still pending.
This is the 12th consecutive Budget where denial is normalised as…— Kavitha Kalvakuntla (@RaoKavitha) February 1, 2026