The Telangana unit of the Congress party on Wednesday demanded that the state government present a full-fledged budget for the financial year 2019-20 instead of coming up with a vote on-account budget.
Addressing a press meet at Gandhi Bhavan, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin said that people across the country and Telangana were witnessing a strange situation.
"The BJP government at the Centre has only three months left for its tenure but it wants to present a full-fledged budget which not only unconstitutional, but against all norms and established Parliamentary practices. On the other side, the TRS government in Telangana, which got a mandate for the next five years, wants to come up with a vote on account. Both BJP and TRS does not want to follow the Constitution," he said.
Nizamuddin said that there was no valid reason for the TRS government to defer the presentation of a full-fledged budget.
"Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has claimed that the state government wants to come up with a vote on account due to lack of clarity on Centre's financial contribution to state's schemes or devolution of funds. The state government should take an average of central funds it got during the last five financial years and include them as estimate for 2019-20. This can be revised later. Therefore, the State Government should present the budget based on its own estimated revenues and proposed expenditures," he said.
"Presently, Telangana is present facing a huge financial crisis. There is no money left in the state's exchequer to be spent on new schemes. Situation will turn worse in the coming months. Telangana Government has been surviving on loans. In 2017-2018, as per the CAG report, the state had borrowed over Rs 26,738 Crore. This year, as of November 30, it already borrowed Rs 21,537 crore,” the Congress leader alleged.
The TPCC Spokesperson said that Telangana was already in debts of over Rs. 2.5 lakh crore and demanded that the state government present a clear picture of Telangana's actual revenues, exact expenditure and total debt, including interest being paid.
"This is public money and CM KCR or anyone else are not entitled to use it or misuse it in any way they want. People of Telangana have voted for TRS to assign it the responsibility of managing their money in a judicious manner. CM KCR must feel his responsibility and come clear on this," he demanded.