BJP Criticises TRS' "Flawed" Agricultural Schemes

BJP national vice president D K Aruna today criticised Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao claiming that he had first misled the farmers of the state with his flawed regulated farming scheme, which had caused the farmers to incur huge losses, and then coerced them into covering up the failure of the program.

Addressing the media at the party's state office, along with BJP state general secretary Bangaru Shruti, Aruna said that the Chief Minister and his government had behaved irresponsibly towards the farmers by suddenly withdrawing the regulated farming scheme after insisting on its implementation in the past, just to cover up the scheme's failure.

She said that the CM had first insisted that the farmers cultivate the finer variety of rice under the scheme, and then abandoned them by withdrawing the MSP for the produce. She pointed out that the CM had not kept his word of augmenting the MSP for fine rice by Rs 150, after he had promised to do so at a public meeting in Jangaon.

Echoing the claims made by BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Aruna too said that though the party had warned the TRS government against implementing the flawed cropping scheme numerous times, the advice had fallen on deaf ears.

She then spoke about the CM's decision to implement the Centre's new farm Acts, and said that it was good that the latter had finally realised the need to implement the same after erroneously
However, she also clearly voiced her party's opposition to the government's decision to close down the state's crop procurement centres, and claimed that the announcement of the decision to shut down the centres had been intentionally timed, and was made right before the announcement of the government's acceptance of the three farm laws, in an attempt to discredit the BJP-led union government.

"We do not support KCR's decision of closing down the crop procurement centres as this will only harm the farmers. Instead, we urge him to convert the Rythu Vedikas into procurement centres. KCR should know that the BJP will always oppose any decisions that can potentially damage agrarian interests," Aruna said.

Addressing the CM's claims that the procurement of crops at the MSP had proved to be a drain on the state's exchequer as it had led to huge losses, she asked the latter how this was even possible when it was the union government that had been procuring the agricultural produce from the state's farmers.

The BJP vice president also censured the state government for its "negligent attitude" towards developing the state's irrigation infrastructure, claiming that there had been no substantial progress in the area as the government was more interested in pocketing commissions than in improving the irrigation system.

She demanded that the CM provide the details of how many acres had been converted to irrigated areas under the state's scheme of providing irrigation to one crore acres of land, and said that once the details were submitted, the Centre would soon order an enquiry into the matter.

In a rare moment of agreement, both the BJP and the Congress have severely criticised the TRS regime over the past week for its decision to shut down the state's crop procurement centres.