Hyderabad, Nov.27 (NSS): Former minister Harish Rao has strongly criticized the Congress government’s three-day “Farmers’ Festival,” accusing it of betraying farmers during its one year in office. He questioned whether the celebrations are meant to distract from the government’s failure to fulfil promises made to farmers.
“The much-publicized Warangal Farmers’ Declaration included nine key promises, but not a single one has been implemented. Is the Congress government celebrating this failure?” Harish Rao asked.
Harish Rao outlined key shortcomings of the Congress government in its one-year rule, pointing out the following failures:
The promise of a loan waiver remains unfulfilled, leaving many farmers in financial distress; Rythu Bharosa scheme has been poorly implemented, with delayed payments and incomplete coverage; farmers have been denied minimum support prices for their crops, and procurement centers for key crops like cotton and paddy are absent; the promise of 24-hour quality power supply has not been delivered; Assurances of aid for tenant farmers and agricultural labourers have been completely ignored.
He also highlighted the tragic loss of 563 farmers’ lives during the Congress government’s one-year rule, calling it a grave failure to protect the farming community. Harish Rao emphasized that the Congress government owes ₹40,800 crore to farmers under various schemes and promises. They are: ₹14,000 crore for loan waivers; ₹7,500 crore under Rythu Bandhu for the Kharif season; ₹3,000 crore for tenant farmers; ₹1,600 crore for agricultural labourers; ₹3,000 crore in bonuses for all crops;
₹11,700 crore for crop loss due to unseasonal rains.
The former minister dismissed the government’s claim of spending ₹54,280 crore on farmers’ welfare as misleading. He stated that ₹27,486 crore of this amount was spent on routine schemes like farmers’ insurance, free electricity, and crop procurement, which were already in place under the BRS government. Claiming routine expenditures as new initiatives is nothing short of deceiving the farming community, Harish Rao said.
He called on the government to release ₹40,800 crore in pending dues to farmers immediately, along with Rythu Bharosa payments for the Rabi season. “If the Congress government is genuinely committed to farmers’ welfare, it must first settle all pending dues instead of holding celebrations,” Harish Rao demanded.
