Misplaced priorities of Revanth Reddy led to agrarian crisis in Telangana: KTR

HYDERABAD: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao has said that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and his government prioritized politics over governance leading to an agrarian crisis in the state.

Addressing media at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday, KTR said that farmers were facing great distress. “Visuals of farmers complaining that the Government is not buying their paddy have gone viral on social media. Their condition is miserable. Due to delay in paddy procurement and untimely rains, the entire paddy crop is getting washed away.” he pointed out.

Even after 25 days, the procurement centres with no procurement officers were in no condition to buy paddy, KTR observed.

Farmers were incurring heavy losses as the government did not permit procurement.

He demanded speedy procurement of paddy and noted that after the elections, farmers should be supported by keeping politics aside.

The government should also take immediate action regarding grain depreciation in the name of ‘Talu’ and farmers should be given fair prices without any discrimination, KTR said.

“Farmers are agitating at all procurement centres across the state. Farmers in the Rajanna Sircilla district are staging dharnas and rasta rokos demanding the purchase of paddy. The Government should keep politics aside, fulfill its responsibility, and complete the paddy procurement immediately,” KTR said.

He warned that if this government does not respond, the farmers would have to take to the road against the Government. “The BRS and our party chief KCR will stand by the farmers. We will fight for the farmers till the procurement of paddy and an additional bonus of Rs 500 and loan waiver,” he said.

Expressing confidence that the BRS candidate would win the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda graduate elections, KTR said that he was confident that the educated people of these three districts would once again ensure the victory of party candidate Rakesh Reddy.

“Our candidate Rakesh Reddy is an educated and enthusiastic person who completed his higher education in BITS Pilani and completed his education in America. The 4.70 lakh unemployed youth in these three districts should realize the betrayal of the promises made by the Congress government,” the former Minister noted.

He said that the unemployed youth in the State realised that they were cheated in the name of mega DSC with 50 thousand posts.

He observed that the Government had not decided on the DSC yet. The BRS candidate would put pressure on the Government to implement every promise made by the Congress party, KTR said.

He said that BRS during the last ten years set up at least one medical college in every district. “Our government has also given the highest pay scale to employees and teachers and has given jobs to two lakh people, He said adding that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was lying and that he gave 30,000 jobs without giving a single job. The Congress promised 2 lakh jobs, KTR said.

Condemning the verbal attack of the Chief Minister against the electricity employees he said that former Chief Minister KCR never blamed the Government employees during ten years of his tenure. “We have a close relationship with our employees. Today, Revanth Reddy is blaming the employees of power companies for getting away with his incompetence and handiwork. They are working 24 hours a day. The excellent performance of the employees of the Telangana power companies reached new heights from 7700 MW to 20,000 MW,” KTR noted.

KTR said that Revanth Reddy, who was unable to run the Government, was abusing employees. “He should remember that he is not the leader of the opposition but the Chief Minister of the State. When in opposition he

abused IAS officers and employees of power companies. Will teachers in Narayankhed be charged like this?” he said.

The BRS working president said that Revanth Reddy lied about the debt. The Reserve Bank of India said that the state Government's debt was only Rs 3.87 lakh crore, but the Congress said during the campaign that the debt was Rs 7 lakh crore.

“The Chief Minister and the Finance Minister should apologise to the people of the state for the false propaganda on the debt of the state government. Why is the Congress Government now borrowing, which till yesterday said it was wrong to do so," KTR said.

He clarified that the BRS Government took loans in the past and spent on infrastructure projects and roads. “But this is a Government that is borrowing to pay its debts.

Suspecting the political motives of the BJP after results were declared on June 4 he said that he said that BJP's strategy in Hyderabad would be different. “Their conspiracies will be understood after June 4,” he said