The Congress has described the distribution of input subsidy to farmers under Rythu Bandhu scheme as an effort by the Government to cover up the suicide by 4,000 farmers in the last four years, and just another election gimmick by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekara Rao to project himself as ‘farmer friendly’ leader.
TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said financial assistance of ₹ 4,000 per acre would not help farmers much and demanded that the MSP for all agriculture produce be increased by 25% immediately. The CM neither had the time or the humane angle to him to visit the families of 4,000-odd farmers who committed suicide, he pointed out.
and help them financially. The government did not pay compensation of ₹ 6 lakh under GO 421 to any of those families. Moreover, the CM did not honour the commitment given on the Floor of Assembly on paying the interest amount accumulated due to split of crop loan waiver.
The TPCC also argued that although a budget of ₹ 6.75 lakh crore was presented and another ₹ 2.5 lakh crore were borrowed during the last four years, not a single rupee was spent to provide remunerative prices for agriculture produce. “Suddenly the CM has woke up from a slumber as it is the election year,” he said. He also questioned wastage of money on the advertisements in newspapers across the country to create a positive image of the Chief Minister.
He said if the government was genuinely sincere it should pay 25% additional MSP on all crops. He reminded the previous Congress-led UPA government had waived off crop loans in a single take and Congress in Telangana will waive off ₹ 2 lakh at one go if voted to power.
Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir said there was no assistance to 36 lakh tenant farmers in the scheme and the Congress would include them if voted to power. Mr. Shabbir Ali said the CM was only deflecting the pent up anger of the farmers through the scheme.
Former PCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah took objection to CM’s attack on Congress and said people know who sacrificed for Telangana and what kind of rule they were experiencing.
