Telangana BJP hits out at Cong govt over farm loan waiver, paddy procurement

Hyderabad: The Congress government in Telangana has deceived the farmers by not honouring its promise of farm loan waiver made before the assembly polls, state BJP president G Kishan Reddy alleged on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference, Reddy, also union minister for tourism, said the grand old party before coming to power also promised to give Rs 15,000 annually to tenant farmers and a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal for paddy over MSP.

“Within 100 days after forming the government in Telangana, the Congress had promised to implement loan waiver for farmers. They promised to waive up to Rs 2 lakh loan of each farmer. The Congress dispensation is not taking any steps towards fulfilling it,” he said.

The Congress leaders made the announcement on December 9- birthday of AICC former president Sonia Gandhi, but failed to implement it, he alleged. Reddy further said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has issued instructions to the departments concerned to procure even parboiled rice from Telangana irrespective of quantities.

Noting that the Centre was ready to procure either paddy or rice in any quantity, he said the state government should not create problems. The BJP also accused the state government of ‘failing’ to supply an agreed quantity of rice for 2023-24 kharif season and said there is still pending 2.2 million tons of the commodity to be supplied to the centre.

According to Reddy, the central government had agreed to procure 7.5 million tonnes of paddy for the rabi season while only 3.3 million tons was delivered to the centre. The central government is ready to procure 5 million tons of rice from Telangana, Reddy added. The Telangana cabinet on May 21 decided to pay a bonus of Rs 500 on MSP to farmers who cultivated fine rice variety of paddy.