Congress government has betrayed farmers, must step down: BRS

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Saturday accused the Congress government in Telangana of betraying farmers by restricting crop procurement to quotas fixed by the Centre.

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Saturday demanded the Congress government step down, accusing it of betraying Telangana’s farming community by limiting crop procurement to quotas fixed by the Centre and failing to safeguard farmers’ interests.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, former ministers S Niranjan Reddy and Gangula Kamalakar, along with Jangaon MLA Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, launched a scathing attack on the State government and demanded an apology to farmers.

---

Former Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy said the Revanth Reddy government has pushed farmers into a situation where they were forced to seek mercy from officials for procurement.

Recalling the BRS government’s stand on procurement, Niranjan Reddy said former chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had staged protests in New Delhi demanding that the Centre procure paddy from Telangana farmers.

He pointed out that while serving as Leader of the Opposition in March 2022, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had criticised the BRS government and accused it of failing to procure paddy.

“At that time, Revanth Reddy accused the BRS government of making excuses on procurement. Today, his own government has announced that procurement will be restricted to the Centre’s quota,” Niranjan Reddy said.

He further alleged that Telangana did not face any shortage of urea during the BRS government’s decade-long tenure, but such issues surfaced after the Congress came to power.

“Shouldn’t the government be ashamed of these developments? Revanth Reddy must apologise to farmers for misleading them and subjecting them to hardship,” he demanded.

The BRS leaders also accused the Chief Minister of reneging on his promise to procure every grain produced by farmers. “Within days of assuring farmers that every grain would be procured, the government has changed its stand and decided to restrict procurement to the Centre’s quota,” they alleged.

Jangaon MLA Palla Rajeshwar Reddy accused the Congress government of repeatedly failing to provide farmer assistance under the Rythu Bharosa scheme.

According to him, farmers did not receive assistance during the Vanakalam 2024 season, while payments in 2025 were restricted to three acres. He further alleged that support during the last Yasangi season was limited to two acres.

“The BRS government deposited Rs.72,000 crore directly into farmers’ accounts during its tenure. In contrast, the Congress government still has to pay Rs.29,300 crore to farmers after 30 months in office,” Rajeshwar Reddy claimed.