Congress claims BRS will misuse ECI’s approval to disburse Rythu Bandhu benefits
Rythu Bandhu is aimed at helping farmers in buying seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and labour charges during the crop season
By Newsmeter Network Published on 26 Nov 2023 7:15 AM GMT
Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government in Telangana will misuse the Rythu Bandhu scheme for political benefit, alleged G Niranjan, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) senior vice president, in a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI). On Friday, the ECI approved the disbursement of the Rythu Bandhu monetary benefits to the farmers.
A BRS flagship agriculture support scheme, Rythu Bandhu is aimed at helping farmers in buying seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and labour charges during the crop season. One of the major complaints from the Opposition is that the scheme only benefits farmers who own land and not the tenant farmers. The approval from the ECI is seen as a big boost to the BRS party ahead of the Telangana State Assembly elections on November 30.
With the approval being given, the State government will begin disbursing the Rythu Bandhu aid of around Rs 7,500 crores to accounts of over 70 lakh farmers ahead of State Assembly polls.
“Every BRS leader is making the scheme a tool to influence the voters as if they are giving it from their own pockets. They are blaming the Congress party claiming that we obstructed the disbursement, which is not correct,” Niranjan said in the complaint to ECI.
In the letter, the chairman of the TPCC election commission coordination committee also alleged that even though minister T Harish Rao, during a campaign in Mahabubabad and Aleru, blamed the Congress party and created obstructions, the ECI granted permission for the disbursement of Rs 7,500 crores.
“On Tuesday morning, by the time you complete your breakfast, your mobile phones will be ringing to inform you that the Rythu Bandhu amount has been credited to your bank account. This is how the generous permission granted by the ECI will be misused by the BRS party,” he claimed.
The Congress party has requested the ECI to put restrictions on the BRS party to not mention the Rythu Bandhu disbursements in their political campaigns.
