Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday, August 15, launched a broadside against the NDA government, alleging that it is hurting federal values, weakening the states financially and also centralising powers. In his Independence Day address after hoisting the national flag at the historic Golconda Fort in Hyderabad, KCR said the makers of the nation's Constitution put in place a federal structure as they wanted the Union government and states together to lead the march of progress.
"The present Central government in Delhi is hurting federal values. The Centre is indulging in conspiracies that weaken the states financially as if cutting the branch on which one is seated," he said. KCR alleged that the states are supposed to get a 41% share in revenue accruing through taxes collected by the Union government, but the Union government is acquiring income indirectly by imposing cess instead of taxes to reduce the states' share. Through this, the Union government is reducing the states' share of income by 11.4%in 2022-23, he said.
The Union government is causing injustice to the states by providing only 29.6% share where 41% should have been provided, he said. As if that is not enough, the Union government is also imposing various restrictions hurting the freedom of the states in the economy, he charged. The Union government which talks about the ideals of cooperative federalism is, in reality, indulging in the centralisation of powers, he claimed.
The Union government is thrusting upon states’ decisions taken on issues in the Concurrent List without consultation, he alleged, citing the examples of farm laws which have now been withdrawn. In the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, for subjects in the State List, state governments have exclusive powers to make laws and policies, while both Union and state governments hold power to frame policies on Concurrent List subjects.
KCR hit out at the present NDA regime for allegedly trying to portray farmers protesting in Delhi against farm laws as betrayers of the nation. The Prime Minister had to finally apologise to farmers, he said. The Union government is imposing an enormous burden on the poor and middle classes by imposing taxes on various products, including milk and the construction of graveyards, he charged.
Wading into the row over freebies, the Chief Minister said, "People's welfare is the primary responsibility of the governments. It is blame-worthy that the Centre, without properly fulfilling that responsibility, is insulting by calling welfare schemes as freebies." He alleged that, due to the shortcomings in the Union government’s management, the country's economic growth has slowed down, inflation is rising, the value of the rupee is declining and unemployment growing in the country.
Those in power at the Union government, to hide their failures, are indulging in tactics of dividing people with hate politics, he further alleged. Highlighting the nation's unity in diversity, he claimed that "those in constitutional posts are indulging in fascist attacks" to hurt India's peaceful coexistence. KCR further claimed that destructive forces are trying to foment communal trouble in Telangana and to hurt peace and development. He said it is the responsibility of every Telangana citizen to safeguard the 'Ganga Jamuna tehzeeb' (fusion of Hindu-Muslim cultures) in the state.
Referring to criticism of his government taking heavy debt, he said the state's debt was over Rs 2.25 lakh crore in 2019-20. Telangana inherited a debt of Rs 75,577 crore in 2014 when the state was formed. The debt taken by the state government was thus Rs 1.49 lakh crore which was used to build projects and provide infrastructure, he said.