BRS working President KT Rama Rao said the farmers who are upset over not getting the loan waiver were more in number.
Published Jul 19, 2024 | 4:10 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 19, 2024 | 4:10 PM
KTR at the meeting of Nalgonda Lok Sabha constituency. (X)
As expected, the BRS launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Telangana, claiming that lakhs of farmers had been left in the implementation of the first phase of ₹2 lakh crop loan waiver scheme.
BRS working President KT Rama Rao, in a message on X on Friday, 19 July, said the farmers who are upset over not getting the loan waiver were more in number than those who became debt-free in the category of those who had taken loans up to ₹1 lakh.
The Congress government, after raising hopes of the farmers for the last seven months, finally came out with a scheme that had imposed too many conditions, excluding a large number of farmers from the purview of the scheme.
He said he did not understand why the Congress government had called for celebrations and referred to an adage in Telangana “chara aanne ki murgi bara aanne ka maslaa” which, in this context, roughly meant “bragging too much about too little.”
He said that the farmers who were denied loan waivers did not find any official to know why they suddenly became ineligible though they in all respects deserved the waiver.
“Why these celebrations when the farmers are in distress?” he asked and wondered whether the Congress was celebrating the occasion for denying loans to a majority of the 40 lakh farmers or for not paying Rythu Bharosa money though two seasons had passed.
The government is yet to pay June Rythu Bharosa to farmers even now, he said.
సీఎం గారు…
ఊరించి.. ఊరించి..
ఏడునెలలు ఏమార్చి చేసిన..మీ రుణమాఫీ తీరు చూస్తే..
తెలంగాణ ప్రజలకు గుర్తొచ్చిన సామెత ఒక్కటే..“ చారాణ కోడికి..! బారాణ మసాలా…!! ”
రుణమాఫీ అయిన రైతులకన్నా..
కంటతడి పెట్టిన కుటుంబాలే ఎక్కువప్రభుత్వం రూపొందించిన మార్గదర్శకాలు..!
రైతుమాఫీ…— KTR (@KTRBRS) July 19, 2024
At a news conference at Telangana Bhavan, former president of Rythu Bandhu Samithi and legislator Palla Rajeswar Reddy said the release of ₹6,000 crore towards loan waiver on Thursday covered only 30 percent of farmers and constituted only 20 percent of the total commitment towards waiver of loans up to ₹2 lakh.
“The Congress government has been making much ado about nothing. In his first term, KCR had waived ₹17,000 crore worth loans benefiting 35 lakh farmers and in his second term, he waived ₹12,000 crore of the ₹19,000 crore commitment. The BRS could not release the balance following the Election Commission put its foot firmly down after the Congress lodged a complaint against us,” he said.
Rajeshwar Reddy wanted to know when loans under ₹1 lakh amounted to ₹19,000 crore during the BRS regime, how could it come down to ₹6,000 crore now.
He said during the 10 years of BRS rule, farmers had received ₹1 lakh crore under various heads.
“KCR paid ₹70,000 crore to farmers towards Rythu Bandhu and ₹30,000 crore towards loan waiver. Under Rythu Bheema, as many 1.2 lakh farmers families got ₹7,000 crore,” he said.
Rajeswar Reddy said that the Congress, on the other hand, was trying to cheat the farmers by making inane promises.
“Why is it that the government had not yet paid Rythu Bharosa money to farmers?” he asked, adding that it was not the farmers but the Congress leaders who were happy.
“Under Rythu Bharosa, the government has to pay ₹12,000 crore but it paid ₹6,000 crore towards crop loan waiver and washed its hands off,” he said and demanded that the Congress government waive the crop loans without imposing any conditions like KCR did in the past.
Referring to Harish Rao’s challenge to Revanth Reddy, Rajeshwar Reddy clarified that the former minister had said he would resign only if the government honoured its six guarantees which comprised 13 promises and implemented the loan waiver scheme in toto covering all farmers.
Harish Rao is committed to his challenge, and it was Revanth Reddy who was beating a retreat.
He said it was not the first time that Revanth Reddy had gone back on his word.
“In the past, when he contested from Kodangal in 2018, he said he would take political sanyasa if he lost the elections. Though he was defeated, he did not go into exile,” he said.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
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