Revanth tears in BRS rules, accused of misappropriating Rs 22,606 crore under Rythu Bandhu Yojana

During a brief discussion on ‘Rathu Bharosa’ in the state assembly on Saturday at the initiative of Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, the Chief Minister criticized the BRS’s suggestion to help all those who have cultivable land without cultivable conditions. He assured the assembly that his government was committed to the interests of genuine farmers and was open to constructive suggestions to ensure effective utilization of public funds under Rithu Bharosa Yojana.

Mr. Reddy alleged that the previous BRS government had given undue benefits to realtors and industrialists through Rithu Bandhu Yojana. “The scheme was misused as an investment assistance program for farmers. People who have allotted their land for highways, owners of stone crushers, realtors, industrialists, holders of fake pattadar passbooks and other non-farmers have also received assistance of Rs 22,606 crore,” he said.

Criticizing the opposition’s demand for restrictive implementation of the Rithu Bharosa scheme, he reiterated that the main objective of the scheme was to support genuine farmers. “I am open to the suggestions of the party that will rule for ten years. The aim is to ensure that the beneficiaries benefit,” he said.

The Chief Minister also criticized former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for his absence from the Assembly. “The Leader of the Opposition is avoiding the House, probably out of shame that his administration’s blunders have plunged the state into a financial crisis,” Mr. Reddy said.

Suicide cases increased

Highlighting the previous government’s failure to stop farmer suicides, Mr. Reddy revealed statistics that Telangana saw the second highest number of farmer suicides during the tenure of the BRS government. “In 2014, 898 farmers committed suicide; In 2015, the number was 1,358; And in 2016, 632 farmers ended their lives. These figures, which I received from Parliament as an MP in 2019, reflect the grim reality under the BRS rule,” he said, urging the opposition to apologize to the farming community.

Providing a comparative analysis on farm loan waiver, Mr. Reddy criticized the BRS government for cheating farmers. “In their first five years, BRS waived off loans worth Rs 16,143 crore. In their second term, they claimed to have waived off ₹11,909 crore, but 8,515 crore of that amount went towards interest payments. The actual loan waiver was only ₹3,384 crore,” he said.

On the contrary, Mr. Reddy highlighted the swift action of his government. “Within 27 days of assuming office, the Congress government waived off loans worth Rs 20,616 crore, benefiting 25,35,963 farmers. This is unprecedented in the country,” he added.

The Chief Minister criticized the BRS government for Telangana’s ballooning debt. “Under the BRS rule, the state’s debt rose to ₹ 7.11 lakh crore, compared to ₹ 72,000 crore accumulated by 16 chief ministers in the 6 decades before the formation of the state,” he said. Accusing the BRS leaders of financial misconduct, he called them ‘economic terrorists’ and said they should be held accountable.

Mr. Reddy criticized the BRS for its lack of gratitude towards Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, under whose leadership Telangana was granted statehood. He accused the BRS of taking advantage of state building for personal interests and failing to fulfill its promises of equitable development and good governance.