TPCC working president and MLC Mahesh Kumar Goud and former GHMC Mayor Bonthu Ram Mohan addressing a press conference in Hyderabad on Thursday.
TPCC working president and Congress MLC Mahesh Kumar Goud lambasted the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders for staging dharnas over paddy procurement, accusing the previous regime led by K. Chandrasekhar Rao of neglecting farmers’ issues over the past decade.
Speaking to media persons at Gandhi Bhavan on Thursday, he questioned their integrity and suggested they should feel ashamed for their wrongdoings against the farmers.
“We witnessed the treatment of farmers under the KCR government where farmers were handcuffed and thrashed over the chili prices and purchase in Khammam under the BRS rule,” Mr. Goud said.
Highlighting the lack of support for farmers during crop losses under the previous government, Mr. Goud alleged that the BRS government failed to provide necessary aid and support. He also ridiculed KCR’s alleged hypocrisy, pointing out that despite claiming otherwise, KCR himself engaged in rice farming.
“The farmers have struggled to survive over the past decade. During elections, the BRS made false promises, only to leave farmers disappointed. In contrast, our Congress government has procured 30 lakh metric tonnes of paddy in a short period and bought stained paddy at subsidized prices,” Mr. Goud claimed.
He further attacked the BRS for allegedly conducting protests and suggested that the people would not be deceived by such tactics. Mr. Goud also claimed that under the current Congress rule led by Revanth Reddy, significant steps were taken to support farmers, including the opening of IKP centers and procuring more grain than the BRS government.
Mr. Goud reassured the farmers that the Congress government would fulfill its promises despite the financial burdens inherited from the KCR regime. He accused the BRS of contributing to a high rate of suicide by farmers in Telangana, placing the State second in the country for such incidents during KCR’s tenure.
“Do not believe KCR’s gimmicks,” Mr. Goud warned, urging farmers and the public to see through the BRS’s alleged deception. He also took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), questioning their contributions to the welfare of the people over the past decade under Narendra Modi’s government.
