Congress Wants Fertilizer Subsidy From This Khariff

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy today said that the public meeting organized by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi in Warangal on Thursday showed that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had sensed rising anti-incumbency in the state against his government. He also described the TRS celebrations as "shameless".

"With three years of non-performance and a huge burden of unfilled promises, KCR is currently living in fear. He must have sensed the rising dissent among the public against the TRS government. Therefore he now wants to dilute the anti-incumbency factor by offering new hopes - by making another round of false promises at the Warangal meeting," Uttam Kumar Reddy said while addressing a massive meeting organized by farmers of Mattampalli mandal on successful completion of several developmental schemes, including lift irrigation projects.

Reddy said that the fanfare with which TRS organised its Warangal meeting clearly pointed to KCR wanting to regain touch with the common people, which was lost due to the non-fulfilment of his promises.

He also ridiculed KCR's newly-revived love for farmers. "The agriculture sector was neglected during the last three years. Farmers lost four consecutive crops, and failed to get good prices for their produce during this rabi season. Over 3,000 farmers committed suicide during the TRS regime, and not a single family got the compensation of Rs. 6 lakhs under GO 421. Shockingly, no TRS leader visited the families of the distressed farmers who committed suicides. Having caused all this damage during the last three years, KCR is now talking about empowering farmers," he said.

The TPCC chief also said that the Chief Minister's announcement of giving fertilizer subsidy of Rs. 4,000 per acre was just an election gimmick. He said that if KCR was really serious then he should pay the fertilizer subsidy from the khariff season beginning next month. He announced that the Congress would launch an agitation seeking immediate implementation of the promise.

He also condemned the Chief Minister for not clearing the crop loan waiver dues in one take, and said that the waiver being done in instalments did not help the farmers.

Taking a jibe at "Gulabi Coolie DInalu", the fundraising drive of TRS, Reddy said that when minister KTR could raise Rs. 7 lakhs by selling ice cream, he should also sell chilli, turmeric and onion to help the farmers who were in deep distress due to not getting remunerative prices for their produce.

Reddy also said that the fear of students prevented KCR from addressing the centenary celebrations of Osmania University. He said that KCR had cheated the students and the youth who had played a major role in the formation of Telangana.

"KCR has nothing to say as he had failed to provide jobs, and also damaged the entire education system," he said. He added that as against the promise of giving one job to each household, the Chief Minister had failed to give even one job to each village.

Exuding confidence that his party would return to power in the 2019 elections, the TPCC chief announced that if voted to power, the Congress would waive off crop loans of up to Rs. 2 lakhs in a single tranche. He also announced payment of bonus in addition to MSP for all crops.

He said that the Congress would create lakhs of jobs, and that unemployed youth would be paid a monthly stipend until they got a job.

He also said that all Indiramma houses would be upgraded to double bedroom houses, and promised loan waivers for more than six lakh women's Self-Help Groups.

Earlier, Reddy was brought in a huge rally and felicitated by the local farmers on successful completion of the lift irrigation schemes of Choutapally, Erragattu, Mattampalli, Amaravaram and Vemuluru. They thanked Reddy for setting up of 33/11 KVA sub-stations in Pedaveedu, Raghunathapalem, Chennaipalem and Bakkamantulagudem; construction of highways and bridges; and other developmental activities.

Kodad MLA N Padmavathi, Mattampalli mandal Congress president Manju Naik and others also spoke.