Hyderabad: Senior BRS leader T Harish Rao has put an end to rumors about a possible split in the party or his exit. He clearly stated that he has no issues working under KT Rama Rao (KTR) if party chief K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) chooses KTR as the next leader.
Speaking at a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday, Harish Rao said, “I’ve said it many times — if KCR wants KTR to lead, I will fully support that decision. I will follow KCR’s direction like a loyal party worker.” He urged people not to believe the false stories about him leaving the party and asked rivals to stop spreading such misleading news.
Harish Rao strongly criticized Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for ignoring farmers’ problems. He accused the Congress government of wasting public money on events like beauty pageants while farmers were suffering. “Our soldiers defend the nation at the borders, and here, our farmers are struggling under the sun just to sell their crops. But the Chief Minister is busy organizing pageants instead of solving real issues,” he said.
He slammed the Congress-led government’s failure in Rabi paddy procurement, saying it caused major distress among farmers. The government had promised to buy 70 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, but so far, it hasn’t even reached 40 lakh metric tonnes. On top of that, payments worth over ₹4,000 crore are still pending.
Despite Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy assuring payments within 48 hours, many farmers have been waiting for over 10 days without receiving any money. Harish Rao also pointed out delays in the Rythu Bharosa scheme, which offers financial aid to farmers.
He said the government had allocated ₹18,000 crore for farm support in the budget. But the aid is delayed and uneven. Farmers with over 3 acres were excluded, and others are getting payments in parts. Before the elections, Congress promised ₹15,000 per acre, more than the ₹10,000 given under the BRS government. But that promise has not been kept, he noted.
Referring to the Warangal Farmers’ Declaration, which was signed in the presence of Rahul Gandhi, Harish Rao demanded the Congress party explain why it has failed to keep its word to the farmers.
Mocking the government’s financial credibility, he said, “Even Pakistan is managing to get loans, but no one wants to lend to Telangana anymore. That shows how little trust people have in this government.”
