Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao (KTR) launched a scathing attack on the Congress government, citing a severe crisis in paddy procurement across Telangana. In a strongly-worded open letter addressed to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, KTR questioned how much longer the administration would remain asleep to the intense struggles of the state’s farming community. He urged the government to open its eyes during the upcoming cabinet meeting on May 23 and immediately initiate corrective measures to resolve the agrarian distress, claiming that a agricultural sector which thrived with immense confidence during nine and a half years of BRS rule has been reduced to a state of despair within a few months of Congress governance.
KTR strongly criticized the state’s lack of empathy, highlighting that farmers who arrive to sell their harvest are forced to wait for weeks at procurement centers (IKP centres), with some even collapsing and losing their lives due to immense mental agony and severe heatwaves. He targeted Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for focusing his energy on visiting Delhi 70 times to protect his political position while dedicating less than one percent of that attention to the welfare of local farmers. The BRS leader further pointed out that delay in procurement and severe weather conditions have tragically resulted in the deaths of nearly ten farmers at various purchase centers, while arbitrary deductions of up to 10 kilograms per quintal by mill owners under the guise of moisture content or wastage continue to exploit the community.
Reflecting on past governance, KTR recalled that under KCR’s leadership, thorough planning was executed three months in advance, and during the challenging phases of the pandemic, the government directly approached the farmers’ doorsteps to buy every last grain. In contrast, he criticized the current administration for failing to provide basic tarpaulins to protect harvested grain from unseasonal rains, leaving farmers helpless as their produce gets washed away. Demanding that the Chief Minister fulfill the assembly election promise of a ₹500 bonus per quintal and ensure the minimum support price, KTR warned that widespread protests on major highways indicate a growing public countdown against the government, adding that the state must immediately announce a compensation of ₹25 lakhs for the families of the deceased farmers to avoid the Chief Minister permanently being branded as an adversary to the farming community.
