Hyderabad, Aug.17 (NSS): Former minister and BRS MLA Harish Rao has accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of enacting dramas and misleading the people with the partial implementation of the crop loan waiver.
Speaking to the media at Telangana Bhavan here on Saturday, Harish Rao said that during the Assembly elections, Revanth Reddy claimed that loan waiver would cost ₹40,000 crore and promised to waive off by December 9 as a gift to Sonia Gandhi. However, that promise was not kept. Later, in a bid to win the Parliament elections, the Chief Minister again said that loan waiver would cost ₹31,000 crores and promised to waive off by August 15, but only ₹26,000 crores were allocated in the budget.
“After August 15, Revanth Reddy did not keep his promise. He has boasted that the loan waiver has been done to every farmer, but the reality is that the beneficiaries are few. The Chief Minister is cheating the farmers with partial implementation of loan waiver,” Harish Rao pointed out.
“On Independence Day, the Chief Minister claimed the loan waiver was completed. However, only ₹17,000 crores were actually waived for 22 lakh farmers, far less than the ₹40,000 crores originally promised. This shows that ₹23,000 crores were cut without explanation,” the BRS leader said.
He further pointed out that compared to the ₹31,000 crores promised before the Parliament elections, ₹14,000 crores were slashed, and ₹9,000 crores were cut from the ₹26,000 crores allocated in the budget. The Congress had promised to benefit 47 lakh farmers, but only 22 lakh received the waiver benefit, which is just 46% of the promised number. About 25 lakh farmers were deceived, yet Revanth Reddy and his allies shamelessly boast about the loan waiver, Harish Rao criticised.
He dared the Chief Minister to prove that the loan waiver was fully implemented.
“You choose the place, date, and time and let’s go to any district, constituency, or village—your constituency or mine,” former minister challenged.
Harish Rao emphasized that, unlike Revanth Reddy, he does not break promises. He reminded everyone of his commitment to the people of Telangana, stating that he resigned for the cause of Telangana without caring about posts, while Revanth Reddy held onto Chandrababu’s coattails and even became Chief Minister after losing in Kodangal by switching parties.
Harish Rao also reminded everyone of his earlier challenge: “I clearly stated that if Revanth Reddy waived ₹2 lakh for all farmers by August 15 and fulfilled 13 promises under the six guarantees, I would resign.” However, Revanth Reddy failed to deliver on these guarantees. The former minister accused Revanth Reddy of starting a malicious campaign to cover up his failures, lowering the dignity of the Chief Minister’s office in the process.
Highlighting the achievements of the BRS government, Harish Rao noted that ₹70,000 crores were provided to farmers through Rythu Bandhu and ₹30,000 crores through loan waivers, totaling ₹1 lakh crores directly deposited into farmers’ accounts. In contrast, he accused the Congress government of not fulfilling its promises and diverting funds instead.
Harish Rao assured that BRS will continue to fight for full loan waivers and farmers’ welfare, and announced plans to lead another farmers’ movement.
The BRS MLA also condemned the attack on the BRS office in Siddipet, attributing it to the Congress’s frustration over their partial loan waiver.
“These attacks aren’t new, but they are unacceptable. In our ten years in power, we never resorted to such tactics. If such actions continue, there will be serious consequences in the days to come,” Harish Rao warned.
