BRS Working President KT Rama Rao addressed a letter on Sunday to the Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and AICC President Mallikarjuna Kharge saying that the Congress government had betrayed the farmers of Telangana in the name of the farm loan waiver scheme.
In his letter, KTR said that he is writing a letter on behalf of the lakhs of farmers of Telangana who have been deeply disappointed by the Congress government’s failure to fulfil its promise of a crop loan waiver.
“Congress leaders, including you (Rahul Gandhi) and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, made a grand promise during the Assembly elections that they would implement the Rs 2 lakh loan waiver scheme at one go on December 9, 2023. This loan waiver promise is a key component of the Congress’s ‘Warangal Rythu Declaration’ released by you in 2022.
However, the reality on the ground tells a different story,” KTR said.
He said while the Congress government initiated the loan waiver process it has fallen short of commitments. A significant number of farmers across Telangana have been excluded from the scheme despite meeting all eligibility criteria. The government, which initially announced a waiver of loans up to Rs 2 lakh, has severely limited the number of beneficiaries.
He said that data from the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) reveals the gravity of the situation. Banks disbursed Rs 49,500 crore in crop loans to farmers during the financial year 2023-24, but only Rs 17,933 crore have been waived, covering just 22.37 lakh farmers.
KTR said that to put this in perspective, the BRS government waived crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh, amounting to Rs 19,198 crore for 36.68 lakh farmers.
Despite the Congress promise to waive farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh, the number of beneficiaries surprisingly decreased by 14.31 lakh. The number of beneficiaries should have increased to 47 lakh farmers, but it instead decreased to 22.37 lakh farmers, he said.
He said that according to the SLBC, as of March 31, 2024, the total crop loans stood at Rs 49,500 crore disbursed by December. Although the Congress government initially estimated needing Rs 40,000 crore to fulfil its loan waiver promise, the amount was reduced to Rs 31,000 crore at a cabinet meeting and further cut to Rs 26,000 crore in budget allocations. Ultimately, only Rs 17,933 crore was finalised in thr
KTR said that this indicates a clear reluctance by the Congress government to honour its commitments, leading to a growing sense of betrayal among farmers who had placed their trust in your party’s promises. Farmers are now forced to navigate a bureaucratic maze, running from banks to officials, seeking answers as to why they have been excluded from the waiver.
He said that thousands of complaints have been filed, and our party’s WhatsApp helpline received over 1 lakh complaints in less than a week. This grim situation highlights discrepancies and what appear to be arbitrary restrictions imposed by the Congress government to reduce its financial burden at the expense of farmers.
The farmers’ of our state feel cheated and abandoned. The BRS stands with farmers and will continue to fight for their rights and ensure their voices are heard, KTR is a bizman.
