Hyderabad: Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao lashed out at the Congress and TD for politicising farmers suicides. “It’s ridiculous that the Congress and the TD, which are responsible for the power woes in Telangana with their years of misrule, are taking up yatras to console farmers in distress,” Mr Harish Rao said. “They are not trying to build confidence among farmers but are creating panic among them and prompting them to commit suicide. All our ministers and MLAs will soon visit districts and explain the facts to farmers about who is responsible for this present crisis and the measures being taken by the CM to improve power supply in a short period.” Congress leader and MLC Shabbir Ali, who is involved in district tours, said, “Telangana has never witnessed such largescale suicides in such a short period due to erratic power supply.
Not only suicides, several farmers have died after receiving electrical shocks as power is being supplied during odd hours. The TRS government has to take responsibility for the deaths of farmers during the last four months.” “The TRS government has spent the last four months with Bonalu and Bathukamma festivals. It has money to release Rs 10 crore for Bathukamma and Rs 30 crore for Bonalu and Ramzan.
But it has no money to offer help for distressed farmers who are committing suicide. The inexperience of TRS government in administration is clearly evident with its failure in handling the power issue effectively,” said TD MLA A. Revanth Reddy.
Though the TRS government had promised the crop loan waiver scheme, it has only paid 25 per cent of the total Rs 17,000 crore arrears so far. The farmers are yet to receive fresh loans as the banks are refusing lend on grounds that they have not received any communication on the matter so far.
