New Delhi: After the EC withdrew permission to disburse financial relief funds to farmers in Telangana, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday blamed the Congress party for the EC's move. He alleged that beneficiaries of Rythu Bandhu in the Congress have lodged a complaint with the poll panel.
Assuring the public at a rally in Shadnagar, KCR said that the installment will be deposited once BRS returns to power after December 3, reported PTI.
This comes after the ECI, earlier in the day, revoked the permission given to the K Chandrashekar Rao-led Telangana government to disburse financial assistance to farmers under the Rythu Bandhu scheme ahead of polls in the state.
Rao claimed that beneficiaries of Rythu Bandhu in the Congress have lodged a complaint with the poll panel asking it to stop the disbursal, as per PTI.
“It is a regular programme. Not a new programme. This is the sixth year of Rythu Bandhu disbursal. They think that if Rythu Bandhu is stopped, they will get votes. How many days can you (Congress) stop?" Rao asked.
"After December 3, our government is going to come back. From December 6 onwards we will release it happily,” he said.
Rythu Bandhu is a flagship programme of the BRS government, under which the farmers are paid Rs 10,000 annually in two installments (kharif and rabi) as investment support per acre.
On Sunday, the Congress requested the Chief Election Commissioner to impose restrictions on BRS not to mention the disbursement of Rythu Bandhu amount in their poll campaign.
Congress Hits Back
Meanwhile, the Congress on Monday slammed the BRS for the EC's action, alleging that those ruling the state, in their desperation to hang onto power, have ended up denying what is owed to farmers, reported PTI.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal hit back at the BRS, saying, "Their flimsy reasoning is not going to fool anyone, and blaming the Congress is not going to absolve them either. After having admitted to their folly, they must immediately apologise to the farmers of Telangana for this egregious mistake."
The grand old party claimed that the withdrawal of permission was the result of the “irresponsible and self-serving” approach of the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led party.
In a post, Venugopal said, “Due to the irresponsible and narrow self-serving approach of the BRS and Harish Rao, under the instructions of his boss KCR, the ECI has denied permission for the disbursement of the Rythu Bandhu installments.”
He further said that the money is the right of the farmers and it is what they deserve for their year-long hard work.
“When this money is supposed to be released any time between October and January, it was the BRS' desperation which compelled them to make such irresponsible statements,” he said.
“Yet another sin committed by the BRS, which will not be forgiven by the farmers of Telangana,” Venugopal said.