HYDERABAD: Former finance minister T Harish Rao on Saturday accused the Congress government of failing to honour its promise of bringing in legislation on its pre-election promises — the six guarantees.
Stating that there was no mention of the implementation of six guarantees in 100 days by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka in his Budget speech, Harish said that the Budget has left all sections of the people disappointed.
Speaking to the media at the Assembly media point, he demanded the Congress government tender an unconditional apology to farmers, the unemployed and women “for betraying them”.
Harish said that the hopes of the people were high on the Budget, but it didn’t meet their expectations. He said that the election promises were tall but the budgetary allocations “miniature”.
The former finance minister said that the government just juggled numbers and imposed sanctions on the farmers. He said that the Congress government planned to curtail Rythu Bandhu, and its claims of giving bonuses to paddy turned out to be bogus.
“Of the Rs 19,746 crore allocated to the Agriculture department, the salaries would come to Rs 3,000 crore. How can the government implement crop insurance, loan waiver, and Rythu Bandhu (Bharosa) with the remaining amount,” Harish questioned.
“Rythu Bharosa scheme alone requires Rs 22,000 crore. There was no mention of loan waiver, leaving farmers disappointed,” he said. Harish said that procuring paddy, maize and soya by giving a bonus will require Rs 82,000 crore but the budgetary allocation was Rs 15,000 crore.
“This so-called Praja Palana is being run by outsourcing staff. How is it different from the Grievance Day organised by collectors every Monday?” he asked.
“Their claim that previous Congress governments ensured uninterrupted power is the joke of the millennium. Farmers ended their lives by suicide, died of snakebite and electrocution due to inadequate and untimely power supply to the agriculture sector,” Harish said.