Rythu Bandhu stopped, Rahul Bandhu launched in Telangana, says KTR
BRS working president KT Rama Rao accused the Congress government of failing to implement key election promises, delaying Rythu Bandhu payments and diverting funds to projects and party leadership. He said BRS would move a Private Member’s Bill for legal backing to the Six Guarantees.
Rajanna-Sircilla: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Monday targeted the Congress government over its failure to implement key election promises while diverting funds to large projects and publicity programmes. Pointing out that the Congress government did not release Rythu Bandhu assistance even as the ongoing Yasangi (Rabi) season was coming to an end, he said the government had however introduced a new scheme called “Rahul Bandhu”, aimed at diverting funds intended for farmers to the party’s high command in New Delhi.
“When Revanth Reddy was TPCC president, he demanded that the Rythu Bandhu assistance should be provided even for the third crop. But after coming to power, he has not released funds even as the season is coming to an end. Rythu Bandhu is gone and Rahul Bandhu has begun,” he said.
Speaking at a felicitation programme organised for newly elected councillors and also to induct several sarpanches, ward members and leaders from various political parties and people’s organisations into the BRS in Sircilla here, Rama Rao said Revanth Reddy, who promised to enhance Rythu Bandhu assistance, had already defaulted on payments multiple times. He reminded that Revanth Reddy, who promised to disburse Rythu Bandhu assistance after municipal elections, was yet to release funds.
The BRS working president said nearly Rs 1,000 crore was being effectively diverted to the Congress high command for political appeasement and to safeguard the Chief Minister’s post, instead of supporting farmers. “This Chief Minister is capable of only one thing, which is earning illegal money and diverting them to the Congress high command. Others are incapable of doing it as effectively as Revanth Reddy and hence, his post is safe for now,” he remarked.
Rama Rao criticised the Congress government for failing to fulfil its electoral promises. He recalled that Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge had repeatedly assured the people of Telangana that the six guarantees promised by the Congress would be given legal backing within 100 days of coming to power. He pointed out that even after nearly 1,000 days in office, none had been fully implemented.
“The BRS will raise the issue in the upcoming Assembly sessions and will introduce a Private Member Bill demanding legal backing for the six guarantees promised by the Congress. If the Congress is committed to implementing them, the Bill must be passed,” he added. He also criticised the free bus travel scheme for women, alleging that the burden was being shifted onto male passengers who were being charged almost double the fare.
The BRS leader said the Chief Minister had promised to enhance benefits under Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak by adding one tola of gold along with Rs 1 lakh assistance, but the assurance had not been fulfilled. He questioned the government’s claims on crop loan waiver and Rythu Bandhu payments, pointing out that the Chief Minister himself had admitted uncertainty about whether funds had reached farmers.
Rama Rao ridiculed Revanth Reddy over the latter’s recent remarks that he had blocked registrations of properties near water bodies in Hyderabad and reducing their value to zero. He said not properties, but there is no value for the Chief Minister and his promises as none is ready to believe them.
The former Minister questioned the Chief Minister’s plan to take up the proposed Gandhi Sarovar project at an estimated cost of over Rs 1.5 lakh crore, when he himself was citing lack of funds for implementing welfare schemes and releasing retirement benefits to government employees. Asserting that the BRS was not opposed to Musi river rejuvenation, he objected to demolitions and stated that development should not come at the cost of displacing poor and middle-class families.
