Chandrasekhar Rao continues tirade against Cong for 'opposing' pro-farmer schemes of BRS govt

Hyderabad: Continuing his tirade, BRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday charged the Congress with opposing his government's welfare schemes for farmers in the state.

Rao, who addressed rallies at Palakurthi and Nagarjuna Sagar for the November 30 Legislative Assembly poll, alleged that the Congress favoured only three hours of free power supply to farmers against 24 hours free supply under his dispensation. The Congress leaders termed the 'Rythu Bandhu' investment support scheme for ryots as 'wasteful expenditure' and also said the 'Dharani' integrated land records management system, introduced by the BRS government, would be thrown into the Bay of Bengal after they come to power, he pointed out.

He sought to know how the farmers will get direct benefit transfers under schemes like 'Rythu Bandhu' if 'Dharani' was abolished. The Chief Minister alleged that the Congress had done away with the Telangana state that had existed (to form undivided Andhra Pradesh as a linguistic state in 1956). Rao highlighted his government's other welfare schemes, including 'Kanti Velugu' and 'KCR Kit'.

"There was a programme called 'Kanti Velugu'. Has any government in India done that? Has anyone thought of it? Eye tests were conducted for three crore people and 80 lakhs of them were given spectacles by BRS government," he said. Referring to senior Congress leader K Jana Reddy who had represented Nagarjuna Sagar earlier, Rao said Jana Reddy is still dreaming of becoming Chief Minister.

"Jana Reddy was minister for so many years. He was such a big leader. Even now, he is dreaming in multiple colours that he will become Chief Minister. But, there was no degree college in Nagarjuna Sagar constituency until Bhagat (of BRS) became MLA," he said. Jana Reddy, who was leader of opposition in the Legislative Assembly, had challenged that he would quit Congress and join BRS if the BRS led government succeeded in providing 24x7 power supply to farmers even in four years, Rao said. Though the BRS government succeeded, Jana Reddy did not stick to his word, he added.