BJP state president challenges KCR to an open debate

State BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar has challenged CM KCR to an open debate on agriculture-related issues on Thursday.

In an open letter to the KCR, a copy was released to the media; he asked if the CM KCR is ready to resign if he found that not even a single farmer had a meter fixed for the agriculture pump sets.

The BJP leader charged Mr.KCR of not fulfilling the promises given to the farmers but "resorting to cheap politics and gimmicks" in making "baseless charges" against the Centre on its agriculture policies.

"This is also to cover up the fact that the Centre is getting ready to take action against Mr Rao's corruption in various projects like Kaleshwaram, Mission Bhagiratha, Palamuru-Rangareddy, and others," he claimed.

In Telangana alone, it has spent ₹85,000 crores for procurement ever since the NDA government came to power bearing expenditure for the entire process, including gunny bags, labour, transport, and so on, yet the government here had "inordinately delayed" the procurement, and farmers dues are to the tune of ₹2,626 crores. The other States have been giving bonuses of ₹200 to ₹600 per quintal but not a single penny from the government here, he said.

Admitting that fertilizer prices had increased, Bandi claimed the Centre has been delivering the products at old rates only, whereas the KCR government had promised free urea in April 2017 but had done nothing since then. Similarly, crop insurance schemes and soil testing were not taken up. Apart from Rythu Bandhu, other schemes have been frozen.

The CM never attended the Bankers Meeting or the Crop Plan meeting, exposing his involvement in farmers' issues.

The CM should explain why farmers are continuing to commit suicide. "We will wait till Telugu New Year of Ugadi for the government to initiate steps or will take up a massive agitation," he warned in his communication.