Hyderabad: BJP MP Criticizes Congress for Failing Farmers
BJP MP and OBC Morcha National President Dr. K. Laxman has demanded that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy apologise to the farmers of Telangana, accusing the Congress government of betraying them. He alleged that farmers are struggling due to unfulfilled promises and cuts to government schemes like loan waivers, Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bharosa, and bonuses.
Dr. Laxman highlighted that during a recent Congress Cabinet meeting, it was decided to provide Rs. 12,000 annually to landless farmer families, a figure lower than the Rs. 15,000 promised during the election campaign. He criticized this move and compared it to previous commitments, such as Rs. 7,500 per acre each season under Rythu Bharosa. He claimed this indicates that Congress guarantees are unreliable and questioned why farmers remain marginalised under the current government.
He also accused the Congress leadership, including MP Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, of breaking promises made during the Warangal Declaration. Dr. Laxman pointed out that the “Indiramma Rythu Bharosa” scheme, which promised Rs. 15,000 per acre for landowning farmers and Rs. 12,000 for landless farmers, has not been implemented. Furthermore, he criticised the government for failing to procure paddy at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and for not providing timely investment assistance to farmers, even as the Yasangi season draws to a close.
The BJP leader also raised concerns about the Congress government’s announcement of a special satellite survey to assess cultivation figures. He questioned whether farmers would receive support based on their applications or the survey results, urging the government to clarify its stance on this issue.
Dr. Laxman demanded that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy publicly apologise to the farmers for what he termed as a “betrayal.” He noted that farmers are owed Rs. 17,500 each under the Rythu Bandhu scheme and criticised the lack of loan waivers, increased pensions, and other promised support for the agricultural community.
According to government data, 42 lakh farmers are eligible for the promised farm loan waiver. However, only 25.35 lakh farmers have benefited so far, leaving 16.65 lakh farmers without assistance. Dr. Laxman pointed out that compared to the previous government’s loan waiver of Rs. 1 lakh, the number of beneficiaries has decreased by 14 lakh. He questioned the rationale behind this reduction and accused the government of failing to deliver a promised Rs. 500 bonus on 10 crop types, including rice, cotton, maize, chilli, and turmeric. Instead, the Congress government has only provided assistance for fine grains, further disappointing the farming community.
