Hyderabad – T Harish Rao, a senior leader from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and a sitting MLA, has strongly criticized the Congress-led Telangana government for failing to support farmers during the ongoing paddy procurement season.
He said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy seemed more interested in organizing events like the Miss World pageant than addressing the real problems faced by farmers. According to Harish Rao, the government’s inaction has left farmers helpless as their harvested paddy crops rot in procurement centers.
Rao recalled that the previous BRS government, led by K Chandrashekhar Rao, managed to continue all welfare schemes even during difficult times such as the COVID-19 pandemic and demonetization. He questioned why the current government was unable to do the same, especially when farmers are depending on government support.
He pointed out that, despite not receiving benefits like Rythu Bharosa or loan waivers, many farmers still went ahead and sowed crops by borrowing money. Now, with unseasonal rains damaging fields, the lack of proper government support is making things worse.
Harish Rao accused the Congress government of not providing basic procurement essentials like gunny bags, transport vehicles, paddy cleaning machines, and labourers (hamalis). As a result, harvested paddy is starting to sprout and spoil at the collection points.
He urged the government to immediately purchase even wet and discoloured paddy without any conditions and transport it to rice mills. He also suggested working directly with millers to ensure that farmers don’t suffer more losses.
Calling Revanth Reddy a “failed Chief Minister,” Rao warned that the state was heading toward a financial crisis under his leadership. He also slammed Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy for only making public statements instead of visiting procurement centers to understand the on-ground situation.
According to Harish Rao, no senior officials have inspected the centers, and farmers are left without answers. He demanded urgent action to rescue the farming community from a worsening crisis.
