Senior leaders of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and former ministers T. Harish Rao and S. Niranjan Reddy have condemned the arrest of farmers at Talamadugu in Adilabad district for staging a protest against not receiving the benefit under the Crop Loan Waiver 2024 and criticised the Telangana government for its undemocratic attitude.
In separate statements, the former ministers said on Monday (August 19, 2024) that invoking Police Act (section 30)against farmers who were staging a protest demanding crop loan waiver and the issuance of police order against protests and demonstrations seeking crop loan waiver was a violation of the fundamental right. They alleged that the police took into custody the farmers staging peaceful protests seeking crop loan waiver.
No benefit
They stated that the farmers were forced to take to the streets as their visits to the District Collector offices, Agriculture department offices and banks seeking crop loan waiver did not yield any benefit. Instead of addressing the farmers’ concerns over crop loan waiver, the government was instigating the police against those raising voice demanding the relief.
Unable to get investment support (Rythu Bharosa) on one hand and not getting the crop loan waiver relief on the other, the farming community was made to go around government offices instead of devoting time for farm work. The farmers clung to the hope that they would get loan waiver relief and get fresh credit facility.
After Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced that the crop loan waiver would be implemented in one go, the government had failed to implement it either in one go or provide complete relief to all farmers having outstanding debt up to ₹2 lakh each as promised before the Assembly elections. They suggested the government to implement the loan waiver relief to all.
They demanded that the government immediately withdraw cases registered against 11 farmers in Adilabad district for staging a protest by burning and cautioned that the BRS would be forced to take up an action plan in support of the farmers seeking crop loan waiver relief. They ridiculed the government claims of completing the loan waiver implementation by winding it up with ₹17,900 crore and setting aside another ₹15,000 crore outstanding debt up to ₹2 lakh per farmer.
Published – August 19, 2024 04:54 pm IST
