BRS calls for protests over 'betrayal' of farmers by Telangana govt

Hyderabad, Aug 21 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has called for a protest across Telangana on Thursday to demand that the state government completely waive off Rs 2 lakh crop loans of all farmers without any restrictions.  

Reiterating the allegation that the Congress government ‘betrayed’ farmers by not fully implementing farm loan waiver, BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday asked party workers to stage protests in support of the growers.

He told a Press conference that the government cheated lakhs of farmers by not waiving off their loans despite making promises.

KT Rama Rao alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy backstabbed 70 lakh farmers with false promises and misleading talk.

Citing media reports, he said farmers have come on roads to protest by locking banks and laying siege to government offices.

KT Rama Rao alleged that the government was booking false police cases against farmers to suppress their protest.

KT Rama Rao also alleged that the Chief Minister was trying to divert attention from farmers’ protest by using abusive words against BRS President and former chief minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR).

KT Rama Rao claimed the BRS will not allow its attention to be diverted and stand by farmers.

The BRS leader said the Chief Minister should apologise to farmers for failing to fulfil promises including loan waiver and withdraw cases booked against some of them in Adilabad District.

Making it clear that the BRS would gun for the government till it fulfils all its promises, he said if necessary the party would begin a ‘jail bharo’ programme.

KT Rama Rao claimed that the Chief Minister himself had said that farmers had outstanding loans of Rs 49,000 crore in December 2023 but he kept revising the figure downwards and finally loans to the tune of only Rs 7,500 crore were waived.

KT Rama Rao cited the statement made by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka at a meeting of bankers on Tuesday that only Rs 7,500 crore loans were waived.

He played the videos of the speeches of Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and ministers to highlight their contradictory statements on loan waiver.

The BRS Working President alleged that the government was making excuses for failing to implement loan waiver.

He recalled that after the state Cabinet meeting it was announced that loans of Rs 31,000 crore would be waived but this did not happen.

He alleged that the Chief Minister made a false claim on August 15 that crop loans of Rs 31,000 crore were waived.

KT Rama Rao also referred to the statements of Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy and Revenue Minister P Srinivas Reddy that crop loan waiver was not fully implemented.

He also slammed the Chief Minister for his comments on Telangana Talli and called on the party cadres to wash the statues of Telangana Talli with milk during the protest on Thursday.