Rythu Bharosa betrayal: CM Revanth, Tummala face farmers’ ire across Telangana

Farmers were outraged, accusing the Congress government of betraying them by not only delaying the promised financial assistance for the previous Yasangi (Rabi) season, but also denying it for the entire Vanakalam season.

Hyderabad: Protests erupted across Telangana on Sunday as angry farmers, along with BRS cadres, took to the streets, burning effigies of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, demanding the immediate release of Rythu Bharosa investment support for the Vanakalam (Kharif) season.

Farmers were outraged, accusing the Congress government of betraying them by not only delaying the promised financial assistance for the previous Yasangi (Rabi) season, but also denying it for the entire Vanakalam season now. The protests had begun on Saturday itself, soon after Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao very quietly announced that farmers would be given Rythu Bharosa assistance only from the next Rabi season, indirectly stating that there would be no financial support from the government for this Vanakalam season. The reason he gave was that the Cabinet sub-committee on the scheme was yet to submit its report.

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The statement triggered widespread unrest, with farmers accusing the government of deliberately stalling the assistance that they were being given without fail since 2018 by the previous BRS government.

In response to a call from BRS working president KT Rama Rao, BRS activists and farmers staged protests across the State. Demonstrations were held in the erstwhile districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, Rangareddy and others, where protestors raised slogans against the Congress-led government for failing to honour its electoral promise of providing Rs 15,000 per acre in annual investment support. BRS leaders including former Ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other elected representatives and senior leaders led the protests in their respective constituencies.

Farmers pointed out that the Congress had not only failed to increase the Rythu Bharosa amount from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 as it had promised before coming to power, but had also skipped payments for the entire season, jeopardising their livelihood. They questioned why the State government was delaying implementing the scheme even after being in power for 10 months.

In several districts, protestors organised road blockades and carried out funeral processions of effigies of the Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister. Mild tension prevailed in Gajwel, Siddipet and a few other places, as police attempted to prevent the burning of effigies. However, protestors evaded the authorities and continued their demonstrations, burning the effigies amid slogans of “CM down down.” They vowed to intensify their protests unless the government addressed their demands.