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Fifteen minutes before the Budget was to be presented, in walked Telangana’s Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, who holds the Finance portfolio, to an otherwise vacant Assembly, and only media gallery to greet. No, it was not to present the Budget but to test the audio and get done with photo opportunity.
A little before 12 noon, the ruling party members trooped in, along with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. However, all eyes were on the Opposition benches as the buzz was the ‘man’, Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao, known by his initials KCR, himself will be present. And in, he walked, but several minutes after the Budget speech began .
Thus, the tone was set for the newly elected A Revanth Reddy-led Congress government in the State to present its promised public welfare budget. The before-speech prep seemed to have worked for the Finance Minister as it flew smoothly.
What was also interesting was there were no splashes of colour as mostly occupying the benches were men in white, and a couple of women sporting mild earth-coloured drapes. The majordifferentiator was the ‘kanduva’ or scarf belonging to their respective parties.
If you thought the lower strength of Opposition would mean a rather peaceful setting for the Finance Minister, then you are mistaken. There was frequent gibbering, and at intervals, terms like “Goebbles” were heard.
While Chief Minister was mostly noting down points or intiating the thumbing of the desk when welfare schemes were announced, KCR held a stoic posture flipping through the Budget document.
The speech itself was filled with qoutes of BR Ambedkar, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. And, of course, alongside were mentions of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Interestingly, when the speech was coming to an end, KCR got up and left. And even before the members would have left the assembly hall, KCR was found addressing the press and summing up an hour-plus Budget speech in two minutes: “There is no policy formulation or new scheme in the budget.”
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