Tummala Terms BJP's Protest on Farmer Issues as Shameless Act

Hyderabad: Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao has found fault with the Telangana BJP leaders for holding a protest in support of farmers in Hyderabad and termed their protest as shameless act.

Speaking at a press conference at the Secretariat here on Tuesday, Nageswara Rao challenged BJP leaders to hold protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar if they were truly concerned about the plight of farmers.

The Minister questioned the fate of the BJP's promise to double farmers’ income and implement the Swaminathan Committee’s recommendations. He also pointed out that the BJP has failed to deliver on the 23 promises listed in its manifesto, and has been unable to secure adequate funds for Telangana.

The Telangana State was supposed to receive Rs2,700 crore, but the Centre only released Rs.1,300 crore, he claimed.

Stating that the Congress government's primary goal is to relieve farmers from debt burdens, the Minister highlighted the State government's efforts despite financial challenges, emphasising that they have successfully implemented the farm loan waiver scheme.

He added that the current Congress government has credited funds, which were delayed by the previous administration, directly into the farmers' accounts through the 'Rythu Bandhu' scheme. In three phases, Rs.18,000 crore has been credited to farmers' accounts. Additionally, the pending Rythu Bandhu funds amounting to Rs.7,656 crore have also been deposited, the Minister said.

Nageswara Rao expressed pride in the Congress government, declaring it the only administration to both implement farm loan waivers and provide Rythu Bandhu benefits. He promised that Rs.31,000 crore in loan waivers would be credited to 42 lakh farmers’ accounts as planned, of which Rs.22 lakh accounts have already been processed.

He assured that the verification process is ongoing for 3.5 lakh families, with an additional 4 lakh accounts yet to be confirmed, after which they would also receive a loan waiver of Rs.2 lakh.

The Minister shared some good news for farmers without ration cards, stating that they, too, would soon benefit from the loan waiver scheme.

Nageswara Rao urged farmers not to worry if they have not yet received the benefit, assuring that the government is committed to fulfilling its promise in due course.

He pointed out that even leaders who governed for a decade are now criticising the loan waiver scheme, including the BJP, which, he accused, has shown no interest in relieving farmers' debts during its tenure at the Centre.

"Opposition parties are only interested in political gain by exploiting the farmers' struggles," Tummala criticised.