Politics

Congress Complaint to EC over Rythu Bandhu: BRS portrays grand old party as a big villain against farmers

9 months ago
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Rythu Bandhu

The Congress party is aggressively moving forward during the Telangana Assembly elections. Confident of winning, The Congress party is fighting against BRS to win the elections with all its power. A delegation of Congress party members recently met with the Election Commission of India and appealed for measures to halt cash distribution schemes such as Rythu Bandhu and Dalit Bandhu during elections. They requested an order to stop these schemes, except for pensions. The Congress party team included Manik Rao Thackeray, the Telangana affairs in-charge, Revanth Reddy, the TPCC chief, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, the CLP leader, Uttam Kumar Reddy, an MP, as well as the Congress bigwigs Jairam Ramesh and Salman Khurshid.

Prevent BRS to influence voters through Rythu Bandhu and Dalit Bandhu : Congress to EC

Earlier, during the 2018 assembly elections, the BRS government allegedly released Rythu Bandhu funds on the polling day itself, according to a complaint filed by the Congress group to the EC. It is claimed that cash under the Rythu Bandhu Scheme was deposited in the accounts of beneficiaries during the afternoon, which resulted in a significant increase in voting after 12 noon. The complaint argues that the increased voter turnout benefited the ruling BRS party. Additionally, during the Huzurabad elections in 2021, the BRS government allegedly deposited cash in the accounts of beneficiaries under the Dalit Bandhu scheme, the complaint further states.

It is alleged that this cash distribution was conducted to influence voters during the by-election. The complaint also mentioned that this year the first tranche of Rythu Bandhu funds was released in June of this year, and the second tranche is yet to be released. BRS has accused the government of attempting to sway voters by releasing Rythu Bandhu funds during elections. Therefore, Congress has requested EC that the Rythu Bandhu funds be released either before the candidates’ nominations or after the election date.

Additionally, the Congress has accused the BRS of potentially swaying voters in the Dalit community through the distribution of funds from the Dalit Bandhu Scheme during the elections. Therefore, the Congress has requested the Election Commission to intervene and prevent the BRS from influencing voters by dispersing Dalit Bandhu funds. MP Uttam Kumar Reddy addressed the media following the complaint made to the Election Commission, stating that the Congress has urged for measures to be implemented to halt all cash distribution schemes, excluding humanitarian schemes like pensions, from the moment the election notification is published until the day of polling.

KTR’s reaction over Congress party’s complaint

Minister and BRS Working President KTR strongly criticized the complaint lodged by the Congress party with the Central Election Commission. He accused the Congress of being an enemy to farmers and stated that they would not tolerate the party’s attempt to hinder the Rythu Bandhu scheme by complaining to the Election Commission of India. He also suggested that the Congress could potentially even want to stop the supply of drinking water to households and the provision of free 24-hour electricity to farmers. People will see KCR in that too. He urged farmers to be vigilant about the Congress party’s conspiracies in the upcoming elections and expressed confidence that they would reject the party by severing its ties. Additionally, he highlighted the difficulties faced by farmers in Karnataka who had voted for the Congress party. Ultimately, he labeled the Congress party as the big villain against farmers.

Which side do the farmers lean towards, BRS or Congress?

In Telangana, political parties are now focusing more on farmers. Both the BRS and Congress parties have included schemes in their manifestos to attract farmers. Currently, the BRS government provides financial assistance to farmers twice a year through the Rythu Bandhu scheme, at the rate of Rs.10,000 per acre. If BRS wins the election again, they have promised to increase this amount and gradually raise it to Rs.16,000 per acre. They have also pledged to continue the Rythu Bima scheme. Congress, on the other hand, has introduced the ‘Congress Rythu Bharosa’ scheme in their manifesto, which promises to provide Rs.15,000 per acre per year to farmers, including tenant farmers.

However, it remains to be seen how the farmers will respond to Congress’ complaint to EC to halt the cash distribution of the ‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme. Furthermore, some farmers from Karnataka have protested against the Congress party in the Kodangal and Gadwal constituencies of Telangana, urging Telangana farmers not to trust Congress, as they felt deceived by the party’s manifesto in Karnataka. Considering these occurrences, it is yet to be determined which political party the farmers of Telangana will ultimately support in the upcoming elections, be it the BRS or the Congress party.

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