Frustration, Not Farmers: Minister Ponguleti Slams KTR’s Warangal Meet as a BRS Desperation Show
Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy accused BRS leaders of misleading people by projecting themselves as pro-farmer despite having “played with the lives of farmers” during their tenure.
Hyderabad: Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Wednesday came down heavily on BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, alleging that frustration and fear of losing power in the future too had driven him to make irresponsible remarks against Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, that were being rejected by the people of Telangana. The minister said that despite being in power for 10 years, the BRS had neglected farmers’ welfare and was now resorting to verbal attacks against Congress government and Revanth Reddy purely for political mileage, which reflected its helplessness.
Referring to Rama Rao’s abusive comments against Revanth Reddy in Warangal on Wednesday, Srinivas Reddy said they did not stem from any genuine concern for farmers but were a manifestation of political frustration and anger. He further alleged that the BRS was colluding with the BJP at the Centre, shielding it from criticism while attempting to blame the state government for all issues, thereby exposing its true political character. Targeting the state instead of questioning the Centre, he said, was a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.
The minister also dismissed the Warangal meeting described by BRS as a “Rythu Sangrama Sabha” as misleading, stating that it was merely a gathering driven by the party’s frustration after losing power. He claimed that the meeting was attended not by farmers but by BRS workers. Criticising Rama Rao’s tone, Srinivas Reddy said that speaking recklessly had only diminished his stature.
He accused BRS leaders of misleading people by projecting themselves as pro-farmer despite having “played with the lives of farmers” during their tenure. Recalling the previous government’s record, he alleged that crop insurance had been scrapped and that farmers who suffered losses due to floods and rains were not paid any compensation. He also criticised the Dharani land portal, stating that it had caused hardships to lakhs of farmers in land-related matters.
Further, he said the BRS had deceived farmers in the name of loan waivers, leaving them trapped in debt, which is why farmers themselves voted the party out of power. In contrast, he asserted that the Congress government under Revanth Reddy was setting new benchmarks in farmer welfare. He said the government was providing Rs 10,000 per acre as crop loss compensation and spending an average of over Rs 5,500 crore per month on farmers, compared to Rs 2,533 crore spent monthly by the previous BRS regime.
Srinivas Reddy added that in just two years, the government had spent over Rs 1.05 lakh crore on farmers through schemes such as Rythu Bharosa, loan waivers and insurance, standing firmly by them. He concluded by saying that the days of playing politics in the name of farmers were over and that Telangana’s farming community would recognise the truth and respond accordingly.
