MP Vamsi Krishna accuses Centre of bias against Telangana, lack of support to marginalised entrepreneurs

New Delhi: Peddapalli MP Gaddam Vamsi Krishna accused the Central Government of ‘systemic economic discrimination’ against Telangana and the ‘harassment’ of taxpayers through retrospective tax amendments.

‘30 paisa for every rupee’

The MP highlighted a stark disparity in tax contributions versus Central devolutions.

He noted that while his constituency—home to industrial giants like NTPC, RFCL and Singareni Collieries—contributes between Rs 25,000 crore and Rs 30,000 crore to the national exchequer, the return is negligible.

“For every rupee we contribute to the Centre, we hardly get back 30 paisa. In Peddapalli, we get back only Rs 100 to Rs 150 crore, which is equivalent to peanuts. This is not fair,” Vamsi stated.

Pending demands

He further criticised the Centre for ignoring long-standing local demands, including:

- The establishment of Agricultural and Mining Universities.

- An ESI Hospital for Singareni workers.

- Increasing the monthly pension for Singareni workers to Rs 10,000.

The ‘unjust’ relocation of a proposed Rs 100-crore semiconductor facility from Peddapalli to Andhra Pradesh at the last minute.

Tax ‘assault’ and startup bias

Shifting focus to national policy, Vamsi Krishna accused the government of reneging on its promise to avoid retrospective taxation. He claimed that amendments made to Section 148 in 2021-22 led to the issuance of over 20 lakh invalid tax notices.

“All these cases were struck down by High Courts and the Supreme Court, yet assessment officers have defied the law of faceless assessments to harass the Aam Aadmi,” he told the House.

The MP also took aim at the government’s ‘Atma Nirbhar’ slogan, pointing out that imports from China have doubled. He contrasted the ‘lakhs of crores’ in tax holidays given to foreign corporates and data centres with the lack of support for marginalised entrepreneurs.

‘Modern-day Dalit’

Identifying himself as an ‘educated and aware modern-day Dalit,’ Vamsi Krishna highlighted the lack of representation in India’s booming startup ecosystem. He noted that out of over one lakh startups, Dalit founders remain a vanishingly small minority.

To rectify this, he proposed:

- Tax relief for Dalit founders and employees.

- Incentives for corporates that maintain a high percentage of Dalit employees.

- Improved capital access for Dalit-led businesses.

Neglect of heritage and labour

The MP concluded his speech by listing ignored cultural sites in his constituency, such as the Koti Lingala temple in Dharmapuri, the Manthani Ramagiri fort and the Buddhist Stupa in Peddapalli, none of which have received development funds.

He also labelled the management of the MNREGA scheme over the last decade a ‘big scam,’ arguing that despite massive spending, workers’ daily earnings have remained stagnant.

Vamsi said, “This government is making decisions against the poor of our country.”