Telangana Agriculture Minister’s comments pushes farmers into confusion: KTR

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao accuses Congress Government in Telangana of betraying farmers with broken promises and lack of support.

HYDERABAD

Working president of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) K.T. Rama Rao has alleged that the Congress Government in Telangana has betrayed the farming community one more time. He said this pointing at the State Agriculture Minister Tummala Nagerswara Rao’s comments reportedly made in Delhi on Thursday (September 19, 2024) that Rythu Bharosa would not be extended to the tenant farmers.

Mr. Rama Rao issued a statement on Friday (September 20, 2024) saying that the Congress Government led by A. Revanth Reddy made tall promises to the farming community by assuring enhanced investment support of ₹15,000 per acre under Rythu Bharosa and crop loan waiver to all farmers without any restrictions.

Going a step further, he said, Mr. Revanth Reddy had even asked the farming community to borrow loans from banks in case they did not do till then (at the time of poll campaign for State Assembly elections-2023) as the Congress Government that would be formed in December (2023) would clear the first file on the crop loan waiver on the day of assuming office and write off dues up to ₹2 lakh to all farmers without any restrictions.

However, Mr. Nageswara Rao’s comments in Delhi had pushed the farming community, particularly the tenant farmers who comprise about 20% of all those engaged in farming, into a confusion, said KTR. Apart from promising ₹15,000 per acre under Rythu Bharosa to landholding and tenant farmers, the Congress party had also promised ₹12,000 a year assistance to farmworkers.

“The Congress Government has betrayed farmers in the matter of implementing the crop loan waiver as it has covered only half of the farmers having outstanding debt in banks. Thereafter, they were betrayed by denying Rythu Bharosa support for the Kharif season which will conclude in 10 days. And, now, the tenant farmers are betrayed by stating that Rythu Bharosa won’t be extended to them”, the BRS leader said.

The Congress party had made over 420 promises before the Assembly elections but going back on them one by one during the past 10 months. “Why make promises, if their implementation is not possible?” he asked.