Hyderabad: BRS Working President KT Rama Rao strongly opposed the Congress party’s statement that farmers do not need 24-hour free electricity.
He accused the Congress of ignoring farmers’ interests and adopting an anti-farmer stance.
Highlighting the Congress statement that farmers do not require 24-hour free electricity, KTR condemned its anti-farmer policies and their statement that it will reduce free electricity supply from 24 hours to just three hours.He emphasized the significance of free electricity for Telangana farmers and said that it is an essential lifeline that the Congress is threatening to cut. This reflects the Congress’s indifference towards the farming community, he said.
KTR pointed out the Congress’ history of implementing anti-farmer policies and drew attention to their recent demand to scrap the Dharani portal and its opposition to the Rythu Bandhu scheme. He called upon farmers to fight the conspiracies of the Congress to stop free power supply.
KTR said that the people of Telangana will never forget the difficulties farmers endured during Congress rule. He highlighted the challenges faced by farmers like anti-farmer policies and the debt crisis which led to suicides. Power cuts disrupted farmers’ lives and pushed them into distress, he said.
He said the situation significantly improved in the last nine years, and cases of burning motors, exploding transformers, and crop failures that were seen during Congress rule have diminished considerably.
KTR said that farmers do not want to go back to the conditions they experienced under Congress rule where they had to buy fertilizers from police stations after standing in long queues. He also raised the selling of spurious seeds during Congress’ tenure.
After the formation of Telangana, the BRS government prioritized the welfare of farmers. Initiatives like the Kaleshwaram Project and Mission Kakatiya substantially increased groundwater levels, enabling farmers to cultivate two crops, he said.
KTR affirmed the State government’s unwavering commitment to provide 24-hour free electricity even though the BJP government is trying to meter agricultural pumps. He pointed out that the TS government gave up the Central grant of Rs 30,000 crore given for metering power supplied to farmers as it had to compromise on helping farmers to get the money.
He said that the Congress is envious towards Telangana’s success in becoming a major rice supplier. He said that Congress shamelessly seeks to revive the era of exploitation by land brokers by saying that it would scrap the Dharani portal.
KTR called for strong action against those opposing the free supply of electricity and asserted the need to confront those who argue that three hours of electricity was sufficient.
He urged the people to unite against Congress, which exploits farmers and to firmly support the BRS government.
