Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao accused the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA government at the Centre of conspiring against farmers and their landholding by opposing welfare schemes for them on the one hand and denying even support price to their produce and increasing prices of inputs on the other.
“There is a conspiracy behind mooting measures such as fixing meters for farm connections (agricultural pumpsets) so that farmers could get fed up with farming over a period time, paving the way for stepping-in of corporates to take up farming and control the entire food sector,” he said addressing a public meeting organised at Munugode in Nalgonda district on Saturday.
He explained that the idea behind giving support to farmers under Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima schemes and 24×7 free power supply was to sustain their interest in farming so that micro-level economy remained robust. Rural areas would be abuzz with economic activity only if the farming sector was sound, he noted.
Cautioning the people, particularly the electorate, that support to the BJP would bring in meters to their pumpsets as they would claim it as support to their policies, he reiterated. “I won’t allow fixing meters to pumpsets and won’t stop Rythu Bandhu scheme till I am there and it is time for you to fix meter to BJP itself.”
The TRS chief asked people to make a choice between KCR (TRS), who was opposing meters to pumpsets, and the BJP, which was planning to get meters fixed. “You are my strength to fight the Prime Minister against such decisions. Where would I go if you weaken me (TRS) and strengthen the BJP. They (BJP) want us to stop welfare schemes, including those being implemented for farmers, by terming them freebies, while branding writing-off of huge corporate loans as NPAs in the name of incentives,” he said.
Stating that the TRS government had ended the fluoride problem in Munugode along with other affected areas of Nalgonda district, Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao said getting water for irrigation was still pending and blamed BJP government at the Centre for that. “It’s been eight years now Telangana is formed by the Centre is yet to decided the State’s water share in Krishna, in spite of our repeated requests. They are not referring the matter to a tribunal even after the assurance,” he pointed out.
He asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah, scheduled to address a public meeting in Munugode on Sunday, to answer on Krishna water share of Telangana or the Centre’s policy on the issue. He also thanked the CPI for extending support to the TRS in Munugode and wished that the CPI(M) too would take a decision soon stating that such support was needed beyond Munugode too to defeat the divisive forces like the BJP.
Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao said the vote for the Congress would go waste as the party was weakening fast. He is expected to address another public meeting at Chandur soon.
