BRS urges EC to rollback decision on Rythu Bandhu

Hyderabad: Stating that the Rythu Bandhu was an ongoing scheme for the last five years and also submitting that the Rabi season had advanced in the State due to the good rainfall, the BRS on Monday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to withdraw its order of stoppage of the benefit and allow disbursement of the financial assistance under the scheme in the interest of farmers.

A delegation of BRS leaders led by Parliamentary party leader K Keshava Rao met the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Monday. The BRS leaders said that since the Rabi season had advanced in the State, the Telangana government proposed to disburse the RythuBandhuassistance to the farmers from November 24 onwards. The same was informed to the ECI by the government and the Commission granted permission giving no objection to the disbursement of RythuBandhu with certain conditions.

However, the BRS leader said that they were surprised, the Commission withdrew the no objection granted on November 25 to the State government to disburse the assistance to farmers and observed that there shall be no disbursement under the scheme till the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) ceases to apply in all its form in the State of Telangana. The BRS leaders said that Harish Rao had not made any such comment, which was in violation of the order. He merely thanked the authority for allowing the disbursement of the scheme amount to the farmers. The statement by Harish Rao was an inadvertent statement and nothing but an expression of gratitude for the Election Commission’s decision, the BRS leaders said.

The BRS leaders pointed out that the Central government programme of the PM Kisan scheme was allowed to disburse the amount and that the amount was already deposited into the farmers account, and there was no difference between both schemes so far as assistance to the farmers is considered.