HYDERABAD: The state unit of BJP will stage a 24-hour hunger strike on September 30 demanding that the Congress implement all the promises it made to farmers before forming the government in Telangana.
Speaking to the media, party’s floor leader in the Assembly Alleti Maheshwar Reddy said that all the MLAs, MPs and MLCs will take part in the protest.
The BJP leader said that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, after taking oath in the name of God that he would waive crop loans of farmers up to Rs 2 lakh, could not keep his promise. About half of the farmers, who are yet to receive the benefits, are visiting banks regularly in the fond hope that their loans would be waived.
He also said that Revanth failed to keep his promise of providing Rs 15,000 per acre to farmers under the Rythu Bharosa scheme. It looks as though the government might wind up the scheme altogether.
He came down heavily on Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao for saying that the Rythu Bharosa amount would be paid to the owners of the land and that if there were any tenant farmers they should approach the owners to pass on the benefit to them. The BJP leader said that this was in contradiction to the party’s promise that tenant farmers would get Rythu Bharosa amounts.
He blasted Civil Supply Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy for announcing Rs 500 bonus per quintal over and above the minimum support price only to superfine variety of rice. Uttam Kumar Reddy is restricting the bonus benefit only to superfine rice since this variety is grown only in Huzurabad and Kodad which he and his wife represent respectively in the Assembly, the BJP leader alleged. He demanded that Rs 500 bonus should be paid to farmers raising all varieties of paddy.