CM, Ministers on foreign tour while farmers struggle in Telangana, says Harish

Addressing the "Rythu Gharjana" protest programme organised by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Kulcharam on Saturday, Harish Rao said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy came to power by promising a Rs.500 bonus per quintal of paddy in addition to the MSP of Rs 2,300

Medak: Former Minister T Harish Rao said 30 percent of the paddy from this season was already sold to traders since the State government failed to purchase it.

Addressing the “Rythu Gharjana” protest programme organised by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Kulcharam on Saturday, Harish Rao said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy came to power by promising a Rs.500 bonus per quintal of paddy in addition to the MSP of Rs 2,300.

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However, farmers were forced to sell their produce at Rs.1,700 to Rs.1,800 to traders, losing nearly Rs.1,000 per quintal. Despite farmers raising their issues, no elected representative or Minister was visiting procurement centres at the grassroot level to examine the status of the procurement, he said.

Accusing the Congress government of failing to implement loan waivers and Rythu Bharosa, the former minister asked the BRS cadre to question the Congress leadership on these issues if they visit villages. As for the crop loan waiver, whatever was given so far was after the BRS fought relentlessly.

At the same time, even as farmers were struggling here, the Chief Minister and his Cabinet ministers were flying to various States and countries. While Revanth Reddy was touring Maharashtra on a special flight, his deputy Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka was touring Jharkhand. Seethakka was touring Kerala while Jupally Krishna Rao and Sridhar Babu had traveled to London and Malaysia respectively, he said.

Calling upon the BRS cadre to put up a strong fight in support of farmers to force the Congress government to release the pending crop loan waiver and Rythu Bharosa assistance, Harish Rao said the Congress government was ignorant of public issues. Welfare hostel students were falling sick quite frequently due to lack of healthy food, he said.

Stating that Revanth Reddy was resorting to Goebbels’s propaganda in the Mumbai election campaign saying that he had completed 100 per cent loan waiver in Telangana.
“Did he really do it? Rao asked farmers in Kulcharam, to which they responded with a loud “No”.

Demanding that Revanth Reddy complete the loan waiver process in Telangana before Maharashtra goes to polling, Harish Rao also pointed out that cotton farmers could not get MSP in the State because the government failed to open CCI centres, while the government had failed to pay farmers after purchasing soyabeans from them.

Narsapur MLA V Sunitha Lakshma Reddy, former MLA Padma Devendar Reddy, MLC Dr Yadava Reddy and others were present.