My language was not objectionable: Nirmala Sitharaman on Kamareddy Incident

Hyderabad: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has refuted the allegations that the Centre has done injustice to Telangana in allocating projects and funds. She alleged that the Telangana government is changing the names of Central government schemes and telling people they are state schemes.

She said the Centre does not decide how much money can be given to the states nor can it show favouritism towards states and disburse money. It is the finance committee that makes all these decisions, she added.

Ms. Sitharaman was speaking at a press meet conducted at the BJP state office in Hyderabad on 3 September.

Ms. Sitharaman was speaking at a press meet conducted at the BJP state office in Hyderabad on 3 September.

Kamareddy incident

A video of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman pulling up Kamareddy collector had gone viral a few days ago, inviting criticism from different sections. Telangana minister for municipal administration and rural development took to social media to call her out for her actions and congratulated the collector for his conduct.

Responding to the video, Ms. Sitharaman said, "I am not here to judge the conduct of any collector. My language to the collector was not objectionable or unparliamentary. Anyone who thinks it is was not right or if my language was objectionable, it is their opinion."

No recession

During the press meet, Ms. Sitharaman said India is not on the verge of recession. She read a Bloomberg report which suggested that India was at zero per cent risk of recession and said India's GDP growth might be at a low base but it is better than other developing countries.

Speaking about the digitisation of funding for infrastructure projects in the state, she said it will allow the Centre and the state to immediately disburse funds for projects.

When asked why Telangana was not getting tax money or recognition for its contribution to the country's GDP, she said, "In Telangana, Hyderabad contributes approximately 55% of revenue. Do other districts only work for Hyderabad? Do they stick posters of Hyderabad MP in their districts?"

Hyderabad Liberation Day

The Union minister refrained from commenting on Hyderabad Liberation Day which will be celebrated by the Centre and state on 17 September. She said the state BJP leaders had said enough about it and they are the ones who fought for the celebrations to be held.

FRBM limit

To queries on Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management's (FRBM) limit for the states, she said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, when it was required, the borrowing limit was raised from 3 to 5%. It was not that the Centre was unresponsive to such requests, however, it only did it when required.

Freebies

Speaking on why the Centre was against "freebies," the minister said the state should consider how they were going to pay for the subsidies they were giving and if there was enough revenue in the state to afford the freebies.

'Will return to Telangana'

Ms. Sitharaman who is on a three-day visit to Telangana said she will return to the state and campaign in more districts. "After many years, I am holding a press conference in Hyderabad. The BJP karyakartas' issues will be addressed…my visit so far has been very inspiring. I loved staying and having meals with the karyakartas. I visited a Dalit community leader in Shad Nagar…This time BJP has decided to focus on farmers' issues. We called farmers and held a meeting with them. Their issues were heard and they were told what the BJP government has been doing for farmers, women, SC, ST, and OBC. The BJP karyakartas are very proactive in Sanga Reddy and Kamareddy," she said.