January 5, 2025: KT Rama Rao (KTR), the working president of the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), has strongly criticized the Congress government in Telangana for not fulfilling its promise to farmers. The accusation centers around a pledge made by the Congress party during the campaign for the state elections, where it had vowed to increase the Rythu Bandhu (farmer support) scheme assistance from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per acre. However, according to KTR, the Congress government has failed to deliver on this commitment, which he sees as a “betrayal” of the farmers in Telangana.
KTR’s statement comes at a time when the BRS has planned a protest on January 6, 2024, demanding that Congress honor its promise of enhancing the Rythu Bandhu scheme assistance. He pointed out that the Congress had made this promise in Warangal, with Rahul Gandhi’s involvement in the campaign, stating that each farmer who was receiving Rs 10,000 for two crop cycles would get an additional Rs 5,000 per acre. However, KTR argues that over 400 days have passed since the promise was made, and the Congress government has not fulfilled it.
KTR has called the delay in implementing this promise a “betrayal,” and urged Congress president Rahul Gandhi to intervene, instructing the state leadership, particularly Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, to fulfill the commitment made during the campaign. He said that as part of BRS’s efforts, the party would protest statewide to demand that the promised Rs 15,000 per acre be provided to farmers, as was initially promised in the “farmer declaration” made by Congress.
This criticism from KTR follows a directive issued by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on December 12, 2023, for officials to release funds under the Rythu Bandhu scheme. The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) confirmed that the process of depositing the promised funds into farmers’ accounts had begun. However, the BRS is accusing the Congress government of not delivering the full financial assistance that was pledged.
In addition to the issue of financial assistance, Revanth Reddy’s government has also promised to waive off loans worth up to Rs 2 lakh for farmers in Telangana, with plans for an appropriate action plan to be implemented. While the release of funds for the Rythu Bandhu scheme was seen as a step in fulfilling promises, KTR’s protest reflects a larger dissatisfaction with the pace at which these promises are being fulfilled, especially the key Rs 15,000 per acre increase that the Congress party had committed to during the elections.
The growing tension between the BRS and Congress over this issue highlights the importance of farmer welfare in Telangana’s politics, with both parties trying to position themselves as champions of the farming community. With the protest on January 6 and the rising rhetoric, this issue is likely to remain a key talking point in the state’s political discourse.