KCR Should Have Gone To Delhi For Farmers: T-Congress

Senior Congress leader and the Leader of the Opposition in Telangana Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir has accused the TRS government of not making an effective representation to the Centre on the issues of the farmers of the State, especially in seeking adequate financial assistance for drought-hit mandals.

Addressing the media at the Congress Legislature Party office on Wednesday, Shabbir Ali said hat instead of leading the delegation himself, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had sent a team of State ministers to New Delhi.

The CM should have taken an all-party delegation to the Centre to pressurise it for immediate release of at least Rs. 1,000 crores for the drought-hit farmers, he said.

He also remonstrated that of 443 rural mandals, only 231 had been declared drought-hit by the State government.

Shabbir Ali said that the State government had not only delayed the declaration of drought-affected mandals, it had also adopted a callous approach in seeking the Centre's help.

"Drought-hit farmers are yet to get their loans rescheduled and get fresh loans. The input subsidy, which was declared last year, did not reach the eligible farmers. Even the High Court has passed strictures against the indifferent attitude of the agriculture and revenue departments towards farmers. The TRS MPs too have not raised their voices on the farmers' issues in Parliament. They have neither pressurized the Centre on relief for drought-hit areas nor asked for the fulfillment of promises made to Telangana in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. None of the issues like a 4,000 MW NTPC power plant, national project status for Pranahita-Chevella and bifurcation of the High Court have been raised by the TRS MPs so far during the ongoing winter session," he alleged.

When asked for his Party's strategy for the elections for 12 MLC seats, he said the Congress Coordination Committee would meet on Thursday to discuss and finalize the strategy.