On Saturday (17th August), angry farmers in Telangana staged protests against the Congress government over the delay and failure in waiving off their crop loans. They have charged the state Congress government with cheating and not waiving off their loans despite making tall election promises in God’s name. The angry farmers also took out a mock funeral procession for Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Farmers in Adilabad district of Telangana have registered a strong protest against @INCIndia due to the non-payment of their loans.
— Vishnu Vardhan Reddy (@SVishnuReddy) August 17, 2024
In a powerful display of anger and frustration with the #CONgress Government, they took out a funeral procession of an effigy of the CM.
This is… pic.twitter.com/VAI3FUoj7d
Farmers in Talamadugu Mandal, Adilabad district, are voicing their strong discontent against the Congress government, staging protests over the unfulfilled promise of loan waivers made by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. These farmers, who were counting on the relief, are now facing… pic.twitter.com/2uOrkTkgCA
— Godam Nagesh (@nageshgodam) August 17, 2024
The farmers expressed disappointment and anger against the Congress government for not waiving loans across the erstwhile Adilabad district. As per reports, on Saturday, around 500 farmers hailing from several villages gathered at the Talamadugu Mandal centre where they took out a massive funeral procession for CM Revanth Reddy. They slammed the Chief Minister for the delay in the loan waiver and later burnt his effigy.
The protesting farmers also raised slogans “CM down down” and hit CM Revanth Reddy’s effigy with slippers.
The farmers said that because of the delay in the release of the crop loan waiver, they have been unable to grow crops. They added that they have been forced to take loans from money lenders at very high rates.
They said that while the Congress party made tall promises, Rythu Bharosa, it has duped them.
The farmers came to the streets to protest against the exclusion of their names in Boath, Bela, Jainath, and Thamsi mandals. The farmers lamented that their names were not found in the list of beneficiaries released by officials of the agriculture department. They also urged the district authorities to include their names in the list.
Furthermore, farmers also staged a rasta-roko in Nennal Mandal in Mancherial district pointing out that their crop loans worth Rs 2 lakh have not been waived off. The farmers also blocked traffic on National Highway 363 to seek Justice. They also stressed that the Congress government’s loan waivers have several irregularities at the Rebbena Mandal centre in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.
రైతు రుణమాఫీ కాలేదని రేవంత్ సర్కార్ పై కట్టలు తెంచుకున్న రైతన్న ఆగ్రహం
— BRS Party (@BRSparty) August 17, 2024
జగిత్యాల జిల్లా వేంపేట గ్రామంలోని కెనరా బ్యాంకు ముందట రుణమాఫీ కాలేదని రైతుల ధర్నా. pic.twitter.com/2kUO3v266B
CM Revanth Reddy faces stiff opposition from the BJP, BRS, and farmers over the crop loan waiver issue
It is pertinent to note that the Congress government-led by CM Revanth Reddy has claimed that it has extended massive loan waivers to the state farmers.
On 15th August, CM Revath Reddy claimed, “Rahul Gandhi promised Telangana farmers that their loans up to 2 lakh rupees would be waived by August 15th. Within 8 months of the Congress assuming power, Rs. 31,000 crores in debt has been waived, making Telangana farmers debt-free.”
Watch: "Rahul Gandhi promised Telangana farmers that their loans up to 2 lakh rupees would be waived by August 15th. Within 8 months of the Congress assuming power, Rs. 31,000 crores in debt has been waived, making Telangana farmers debt-free" – CM Revanth Reddy pic.twitter.com/L7r3WijpqB
— IANS (@ians_india) August 15, 2024
As per reports, the Telangana government recently released the third and final installment of the crop loan waiver with an outlay of Rs 5,644.24 crore. With this, it has reportedly released a total of over Rs 17,000 crore for the Crop Loan Waiver Scheme.
However, several farmers across the state as well as the opposition parties, BJP and BRS have slammed the Congress government for cheating and betraying the state farmers in the name of crop loan waiver. They have emphasised that the government has not waived off loans of a large percentage of state farmers.
ఎన్నికలప్పుడు రైతులందరికీ రుణమాఫీ అని నమ్మ"బలి"కి..
— BJP Telangana (@BJP4Telangana) August 17, 2024
అధికారంలకి రాంగనే ఆంక్షలతో 60% శాతం రైతులకు రుణమాఫీ ఎగ్గొట్టినవు..
తర్వాత 31 వేల కోట్లు ఇస్తానని, 18 వేల కోట్లే ఇచ్చి..
మిగిలిన రైతులల్ల సగం మంది నోట్ల మట్టి కొట్టినవ్!
ఈ మోసాన్ని తెలంగాణ రైతాంగం సహించదు రేవంత్!… pic.twitter.com/rEVRRp3VYP
Taking to X, Telangana BJP wrote, “During the elections, they believed that all the farmers would be given loan waivers. The authorities did not grant loan waivers to 60% of the farmers. Then they promised to give Rs 31,000 crores, but only around Rs 18,000 crores were given. Telangana farmers will not tolerate this fraud Revanth!”
రుణమాఫీ పేరిట రేవంత్ అతిపెద్ద మోసం!
— BRS Party (@BRSparty) August 17, 2024
రైతులకు హక్కుగా రావాల్సిన యాసంగి రైతుబంధు, వానాకాలం రైతుబంధు డబ్బులు ఇవ్వకుండా ఆపి.. అవే డబ్బులతో కొంతమంది రైతులకు రుణమాఫీ చేసి మోసం చేస్తున్న రేవంత్ సర్కార్. pic.twitter.com/iIJrCPJH8F
A day earlier, BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao said that the Congress government had winded up the loan waiver by writing off the debt of Rs 17,934 crore, up to ₹2 lakh a farmer. He added that it was extended to only 22 lakh farmers as the government had considered family as a unit and not individual farmers.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had promised to write off about Rs 41,000 crore of outstanding loans at Rs 2 lakh per farmer, but it was brought down to Rs 31,000 crore in the Cabinet meeting. However, only Rs 26,000 crore was allocated in the Budget.
But when it came to implementation, the Congress government only waived off crop loans worth only Rs 17,934 crore, BRS leader KTR added.
