Gadwal: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) District Secretary, A. Venkataswamy, has strongly condemned the Union Budget presented by the central government, calling it a budget designed to favor corporate and capitalist interests while burdening the poor and middle class.

As part of a state-wide protest called by the CPM State Committee, a demonstration was held on Monday at YSR Chowrasta in the district headquarters, where Venkataswamy participated as the chief guest.

Speaking at the event, he criticized the budget for being anti-people and anti-labor, arguing that instead of addressing the needs of the poor and middle class, it benefits big investors and corporate entities. He questioned how the budget could help ordinary taxpayers when the government itself has set the minimum wage at just ₹8,300 per month.

He further demanded higher taxation on corporate profits and wealthy individuals to reduce income inequality and benefit the poor. However, he accused the central government of failing to take any measures for wealth decentralization.

Venkataswamy also pointed out that 20% of the budget allocation was dedicated to interest payments, leaving little room for investments in job creation and public welfare. He accused the government of misleading the public with "manipulative statistics" rather than taking meaningful action.

Furthermore, he criticized the government for allocating more funds to election-bound states like Delhi and Bihar while ignoring opposition-ruled states, calling it a violation of federal principles.

Highlighting cuts in essential sectors, he noted that under the BJP regime, funds for employment guarantees, education, and healthcare have been continuously reduced over the past decade, affecting the standard of living in both urban and rural areas.

On the agriculture sector, he pointed out that the government had cut ₹10,000 crore from last year’s budget allocation and failed to take any steps to ensure fair crop prices for farmers.

Expressing concern over pending commitments under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, Venkataswamy accused the central government of betraying the people of Telangana by failing to fulfill promises even after 11 years of state formation.

CPM leaders demanded a revision of the budget to prioritize welfare measures for the poor, middle class, and Telangana’s pending commitments.

CPM district committee members, including VV Narasimha, Upper Narasimha, Balakrishna, Majjiga Anjaneyulu, Tirupatanna, Ramakrishna, Viresh, Ramanjaneyulu, Vishnu, and Bhaskar, participated in the protest.