Congress, BRS trade barbs over free electricity for farmers in Telangana

Hyderabad: Members of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party, including MLAs, MLCs, and ministers, staged protests across the state today against the remarks made by TPCC President Revanth Reddy during his recent tour in the United States.

The BRS leaders expressed their outrage over Reddy's statement that farmers in Telangana should not get free electricity 24/7 and that three hours would suffice.

BRS workers gathered at Vidyut Saudha in Khairatabad, Hyderabad, accompanied by Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender, brandishing placards with slogans such as "Khabardar Revanth Reddy, Congress party down down."

The party's working president, KT Rama Rao, took to Twitter and stated, "KCR's slogan is three crops, Congress policy is three hours, BJP policy is fire in the name of religion. Do you want three crops or three hours or fires in the name of religion? Telangana farmers have to decide. This is the moment."

MLC Kavitha stages a protest

MLC K Kavitha, a prominent member of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), strongly criticized the Congress Party's stance on limiting free electricity for farmers. She stated, "I fail to understand why any political group would oppose the provision of 24 hours of free electricity to our hardworking farmers. Rahul Gandhi must clarify whether he supports reducing free electricity for farmers from 24 hours to just 3 hours, as proposed by the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee. The BRS Party is unwavering in our commitment to safeguarding farmers' interests at all costs."

Regarding the Telangana government's initiatives, Kavitha emphasized, "The Telangana government, under Chief Minister KCR and the BRS Party, has taken commendable steps to support farmers. Telangana's agricultural achievements have gained global recognition. We urge people to acknowledge the favourable policies implemented by the BRS Party, aimed at benefiting farmers."

The Congress party has so far refused to back Revanth Reddy's statement, saying that he made the comment in his personal capacity. However, the BRS party is not convinced and is demanding that the Congress party come out with a clear statement on its stand on the issue.

In response to the Congress Party's distancing from Revanth Reddy's statement, Kavitha demanded, "We expect a clear statement from the Congress Party on their stance. Merely labelling it as a personal opinion is insufficient. The BRS Party remains sceptical and calls for a definitive position from the Congress Party."

Kavitha went to and spoke about the positive steps taken by the Telangana government under Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and the BRS Party to support farmers. She pointed out that Telangana's efforts in agriculture have received recognition globally, and she encouraged people to appreciate the BRS Party's policies that are designed to benefit farmers.

Farmers Protest

Farmers in Nirmal expressed their dissatisfaction and staged a protest in front of the local electricity office. Minister for Forest and Endownment, Allola Indrakaran Reddy participated in the protest and strongly opposed Revanth's remarks on free electricity. He said, "Former AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu shot at protesting farmers during the TDP government and now his disciple Revanth Reddy is advocating for free electricity. The Congress party has always brought tears to the hardworking farmers. Their recent actions, such as the Dharani issue and now the stance on free electricity, reveal their anti-farmer nature. Do we really need such a Congress party in Telangana? Congress leaders should be driven out of the villages due to their stance against free electricity for farmers. The farmers will surely strengthen the Congress party in the upcoming elections."

Congress Reaction

While in Bhupalapally, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is being accused of creating unnecessary noise to divert people's attention from the Satyagraha initiative undertaken by the Congress party at Gandhi Bhavan today.

The Congress party claims credit for providing free electricity to farmers in the state. Under the guidance of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), a protest was held in front of the Vidyut Sub Station (DE Office) in Bhupalapalli District Center, where an effigy of the Chief Minister (CM) was burnt.

TPCC members and the Congress Party charge for Bhupalappally Constituency, Satyanarayana Rao said, "The BRS is attempting to divert attention from our Satyagraha initiative, but it is the Congress party that deserves credit for providing free electricity to farmers. Despite the government's claims of 24-hour free electricity, they have failed to ensure a minimum of 12 hours of reliable power supply. CM KCR is to be held accountable for burdening power companies with an enormous debt of Rs. 60 thousand crores during his long tenure of nine and a half years. Let us not forget that it was the Congress party that took the commendable step of waiving off loans."

Political Landscape

The protests come at a time when the Congress party is trying to woo farmers ahead of the next Assembly elections in Telangana. The party has already announced a number of farm loan waiver schemes and is now trying to position itself as the party that is best suited to represent the interests of farmers.

The BRS party, on the other hand, is also trying to consolidate its support base among farmers. The party has been in power in Telangana for the past nine years and has implemented a number of pro-farmer policies, including the Rythu Bandhu scheme, which provides financial assistance to farmers.

The protests over the free electricity supply issue are likely to further polarize the political landscape in Telangana ahead of the next Assembly elections.