KTR accuses Revanth of denying farmers water to evade procurement, bonus obligations

BRS working president KT Rama Rao accused the Revanth Reddy government of neglecting farmers and worsening Telangana's agrarian crisis. At an Adilabad rally, he demanded Rs 60,000 per acre, pending welfare payments and better utilisation of irrigation water

Adilabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Sunday accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of deliberately denying irrigation water to farmers to evade the Congress government’s obligations to supply seeds and fertilisers, procure their produce and pay bonuses. Holding the Congress government responsible for the prevailing drought conditions, he demanded immediate payment of Rs 60,000 per acre, covering three pending Rythu Bandhu instalments and the investment assistance due for the current Yasangi season.

He addressed a massive Rythu Garjana public meeting in Adilabad, amid loud cheers and slogans from a large gathering of farmers and BRS cadre. The charged atmosphere reflected strong resentment over the government’s handling of the agrarian crisis, with repeated applause as he targeted the Congress over pending welfare commitments and the denial of irrigation water.

---

Rama Rao recalled that the Congress had promised to increase Rythu Bandhu from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per acre annually but had failed to honour even the existing commitment. He also demanded four pending instalments of promised assistance for tenant farmers and Rs 36,000 each for landless agricultural labourers, calculated at Rs 1,000 a month for the 36 months since the Congress came to power. He questioned the status of the promised Indiramma Atmeeya Bharosa assistance for 36,000 beneficiaries.

The BRS working president said the government was using El Nino and rainfall deficit to shift responsibility for the agrarian crisis. He said despite recording nearly twice Telangana’s rainfall deficit, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka were not facing comparable drought conditions. “But farmers in Telangana are being forced to leave their lands fallow and submit self-declarations before taking up cultivation,” he remarked. He cited the deaths by suicide of 108 farmers in the erstwhile Adilabad district alone as an indication of the distress.

“Before elections, Rahul Gandhi, Revanth Reddy and Congress leaders released Farmers Declaration in this very town, promising farmers’ welfare and support to agriculture. But after coming to power, they have not only caused an agrarian crisis, but are asking farmers to give a self-declaration to escape from responsibility of the crop loss during El Nino. What is the need of the government which cannot stand by its farmers,” he asked.

Accusing the government of failing to utilise Godavari River water, Rama Rao said nearly 750 TMCft had flowed downstream into the sea during the year. He stated that around one lakh cusecs was flowing past the Kannepalli pump house without being lifted. He recalled that the BRS had urged the government on June 19 to operate the pumps to fill the Sriram Sagar Project and tanks, and questioned its refusal to act on suggestions from retired engineers.

The former Minister maintained that proper utilisation of the Kaleshwaram and Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Schemes could have prevented crop losses across 35 lakh acres. He accused the government of deliberately neglecting Kaleshwaram for political reasons and failing to complete the distributary canals of the Chanaka-Korata project, despite its trial run being completed during the BRS regime. He also questioned the proposal to take up Tummidihatti when the canal works of the existing project remained incomplete.

On farmer welfare, Rama Rao charged that the Congress government had failed to implement the Rs 2 lakh loan waiver fully, repeatedly revising the figures from an initial Rs 50,000 crore commitment to Rs 41,000 crore, Rs 31,000 crore and finally Rs 26,000 crore. He also pointed out that non-payment of the Rythu Bima premium had affected the insurance scheme.

“Under the previous government, families of farmers who died received Rs 5 lakh within 15 days,” he said. Accusing the Congress government of failing to support distressed households, he said he had met the families of four farmers who died by suicide in Talamadugu mandal and extended financial assistance to them.

The BRS working president accused the Congress government of weakening the power sector, damaging Singareni through alleged coal irregularities and failing to protect industries. He questioned the closure and dismantling of the Adilabad CCI factory and the alleged shifting of Telangana industries to Gujarat.

Rama Rao criticised the BJP-led union government for failing to bring national projects and major educational and medical institutions to Adilabad, accusing the two parties of neglecting Telangana. “Both the Congress and the BJP are hand-in-glove in looting the State treasury, but neglecting people. BJP MLA Payal Shankar promised to get the CCI factory reopened. Instead, he is busy striking deals with Revanth Reddy under the guise of industrial park,” he alleged.

He assured farmers that the BRS would continue its fight for their rights and urged them not to lose hope, promising to restore agricultural support under K Chandrashekar Rao’s leadership.

Earlier, he handed over Rs 1 lakh each, on behalf of the BRS, to the families of five children who died in a recent fire accident at Adilabad’s RIMS hospital.