BJP preparing to tax farmers after pushing them into crisis, says KTR

IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao on Tuesday launched a broadside against the BJP-led Centre

Narayanpet: IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao on Tuesday launched a broadside against the BJP-led Centre, charging it of pushing the farming community in the country into crisis and for contemplating taxes on farmers’ income. He also pitched for a farmer-friendly government at the Centre after the 2024 elections.

The Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council Chairman Bibek Debroy had recommended levy of income tax on farmers’ income, he said, adding that this was when farmers were already worried over rising input costs and poor prices for their yields.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to double the farmers’ income by 2022, but instead, when farmers’ income was dwindling, the BJP government was preparing to levy income tax on them. How was this justifiable, he asked.

Addressing a public meeting here after laying the foundation for and inaugurating various development works worth Rs.196 crore, the Minister said the Telangana government was extending 24-hour free power supply, implementing Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima and other programmes for welfare of the farming community.

In sharp contrast, the BJP government was breaking the farmer’s back. The Modi government had waived off corporate loans worth Rs.12 lakh crore but was not supporting the farmers, he said, challenging the BJP leaders that he would quit as Minister if they proved him wrong.

“With Rs.12 lakh crore, farmers in the entire country can be supplied free power for nearly 10 years,” Rama Rao said, asking the people not to fall prey to the false claims and assurances of the BJP.
“Think wisely and support a farmer-friendly government at the Centre in 2024,” Rama Rao said.

Making light of the BJP’s reported plans to make Modi contest from Mahabubnagar parliamentary constituency in the next general elections, Rama Rao asked why the people should cast their votes for the Prime Minister.

Telangana had been appealing the union government to address the River Krishna water sharing dispute and to accord national status for the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation (PRLI) scheme but the Centre was ignoring these for the last eight years.

Why should the people then vote for Modi, he asked, also pointing out that BJP and Congress leaders were creating hurdles for the PRLI scheme by filing court cases.

The BJP State unit had failed to raise these long-pending issues of Telangana with the union government. Since the BJP State Executive meeting was underway at Mahabubnagar, he wanted the BJP leaders to pass resolutions demanding national status for PRLI and to fix the River Krishna water dispute.

“If the BJP leaders in Telangana have a spine, I demand them to pass these resolutions and prove their commitment to the State,” Rama Rao said.

Taking a dig at the BJP’s claim that the Prime Minister had stopped the Russia – Ukraine war, the Minister said the BJP-ruled Karnataka and Maharashtra governments were at loggerheads over boundaries and merger of a few villages, but Modi could not stop that.