Hyderabad: Harish Rao takes wind out of Congress sails over power supply to farmers

Hyderabad: Finance minister T Harish Rao vehemently criticised the Congress party’s stand on power supply to the farmers. The Minister accused Congress leaders of neglecting the pressing issue of farmers’ electricity needs and propagating misleading claims that a mere three-hour supply is sufficient.

Harish said that “Telangana stands as the role model for the country by providing high-quality free electricity to the farmers. In stark contrast, during the Congress’ regime, farmers were subjected to a paltry four to five hours of electricity.”

He criticised Congress leader AddankiDayakar’s proposal to install meters on bore wells, citing opposition from Sonia Gandhi herself who seems to be against the notion of free electricity. The minister highlighted that during KCR’s tenure as Deputy Speaker in the TDP government, the BRS chief corresponded with Chandrababu Naidu, urging him to reduce electricity charges for farmers. However, following the unfortunate incident of farmers being shot during a protest under Naidu’s leadership, KCR resigned from his position, subsequently founding the TRS party to fight for statehood and address the grievances of farmers.

Harish condemned the threats directed at Dasoju Shravan, a BRS party leader who had voiced concerns regarding Congress policies. He called for constructive political debates and discussions, urging a departure from intimidation and coercion. The minister demanded an unconditional apology from the Congress party for propagating false information regarding the electricity issue.

He reiterated CM KCR’s unwavering determination to ensure uninterrupted power supply to farmers and highlighted the government’s substantial investment of Rs 37,000 crores in bolstering the rural electricity infrastructure. Telangana was renowned as the highest rice-producing state in the country, he added.