In what could be a setback to the ruling Congress in Telangana, the Election Commission of India has put on hold the disbursement of amounts under Rythu Bharosa (Rythu Bandhu in the past) till the completion of polling for the Lok Sabha election in the State slated on May 13.
The Commission said though Rythu Bandhu was an ongoing scheme and the disbursement of Rabi season should have been completed by January, it had found that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy violated the conditions laid down for the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by publicly speaking about ensuing disbursement under the scheme on or before May 9 which had also been reported in the media.
The Commission said Rabi instalment of Rythu Bandhu assistance was disbursed by the State Government during October – January in the last five years and there was neither any fixed date for disbursement prescribed in the scheme, “nor any special significance of disbursement in the month of May, 2024 for Rabi season of 2023”.
