A day after Union Cabinet approved two projects in Odisha and one each in Andhra Pradesh and Punjab under the India Semiconductor Mission, Telangana IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu lashed out against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Centre of discrimination against Telangana.

The State was not allocated a major semiconductor project despite full preparedness to host it, the Minister said on Wednesday (August 13, 2025). In particular, he sought to highlight how the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh was allocated the project despite not even a single acre allotted, for the same, and preparatory work remaining incomplete.

On its part, the Telangana government had undertaken every step a proactive State should, from allotment of 10 acres of prime land at Maheshwaram, near Hyderabad, to approving all subsidies and completion of clearances in record time for the establishment of a world-class advanced system and packaging facility, he said.

“The investor is ready [to set up in Maheswaram] and the project was awaiting the India Semiconductor Mission’s final approval,” he said, referring to the project of Advanced System in Package Technologies (ASIP) approved by the Union Cabinet for Andhra Pradesh.

The contrast was stark as Telangana’s proposal is backed by ready-to-use land, sanctioned subsidies, investor commitments and a detailed implementation plan, while Andhra Pradesh’s proposal exists only on paper, he said.

Urges Telangana BJP leader Kishan Reddy to intervene 

Mr. Sridhar Babu urged Union Minister and Telangana BJP leader G. Kishan Reddy to take up the issue with the Centre and “ensure Telangana’s rightful claim is secured.” He also questioned the role of other BJP MPs from Telangana, asking what they were doing to safeguard the State’s interests. The IT Minister cautioned that continued inaction would raise serious questions about their commitment to the people of Telangana.

Accusing the Centre of pursuing a step-motherly approach towards Telangana and taking politically motivated decisions, Mr. Sridhar Babu said “bypassing a prepared State in favour of an incomplete proposal defies logic, undermines fairness, and sends a damaging message to global investors about the Centre’s priorities.” Such decisions insult Telangana’s preparedness and weaken the country’s investment climate, he said, demanding reconsideration of the decision and a fair, merit-based approach.

“We will not accept being denied our rightful place in the nation’s semiconductor growth story,” he said.