KTR accuses Congress of pushing Telangana farmers into crisis

BRS working president KT Rama Rao accused the Congress government of failing Telangana farmers by restricting paddy procurement to the Centre's quota. Addressing party workers in Wardhannapet, he also criticised the government's welfare record, debt burden and agricultural policies.

Warangal: BRS working president KT Rama Rao charged that the Congress government’s Indiramma Rajyam (Indiramma’s governance) had pushed Telangana into a crisis and left every section of society disillusioned. He said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had signed a death warrant for Telangana farmers by restricting paddy procurement to the quantity approved by the Centre.

“The Congress government promised to buy every paddy grain and offered a Rs 500 bonus per quintal before coming to power. But now it has jeopardised the livelihood of every farmer in the State by linking procurement to the Centre’s quota and restricting it to just seven varieties,” he remarked.

---

Addressing a constituency-level BRS activists’ meeting in Wardhannapet on Monday, Rama Rao turned the Chief Minister’s own words against him. “As the then TPCC president, Revanth Reddy once accused the previous BRS government of acting as Prime Minister Modi’s broker whenever it followed Central directives. Today, he is doing even worse,” he said, warning that from the next agricultural season, farmers would have no assurance of procurement beyond the Central quota.

The BRS working president said the Congress government had failed to address key agricultural issues, including fertiliser and seed shortages, power supply problems, delays in implementing Rythu Bharosa and the discontinuation of Rythu Bima. He also stated that the proposed Rythu DISCOM initiative was aimed at phasing out free power supply to the farming sector.

Stating that the Congress had come to power on a series of promises, he questioned what new welfare schemes or development initiatives had been introduced during the last two-and-a-half years. He said Telangana had moved from a decade of welfare and development under the BRS to a period marked by administrative failures and public dissatisfaction.

Targeting Revanth Reddy’s frequent visits to New Delhi, which have reached 73 with the latest one, Rama Rao said the Chief Minister returned each time empty-handed, securing no meaningful benefit for the State. He took a dig at the Chief Minister, stating that Revanth Reddy was procuring all gunny bags to carry funds for his party high command in Delhi, which had led to a shortage of gunny bags for paddy farmers in the State.

He recalled that the previous BRS government borrowed funds and utilised them for development and welfare programmes, including irrigation projects, drinking water schemes, round-the-clock power supply and infrastructure. However, he said the Congress was accumulating comparable debt without producing tangible outcomes.

Accusing the government of focusing on commissions and political vendetta, the former Minister said BRS leaders and activists were being targeted for raising public issues. He assured party workers that the BRS would stand firmly by its cadre and resist any misuse of official machinery against political opponents.

“In fact, upon returning to power, we will give it back to the Congress leaders as well as officials who are harassing the BRS cadre in violation of the law,” he remarked.

Acknowledging that the BRS had focused primarily on governance during its decade in power, KTR said the party would now invest more deliberately in strengthening its cadre. “For the next five years, I take personal responsibility for the welfare of our party workers. The BRS’s strength lies in its cadre, and we will stand by every worker who stayed with us through difficult times,” he said.

Calling on party workers to intensify their campaign against the Congress government, he urged them to work towards bringing BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao back to power. On the occasion, he also briefed the party activists on the BRS membership drive and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) programme through a detailed presentation.