CM slams KCR for comments on drought, asks Opposition for report on ‘farmers ending life’

Revanth says his government’s first priority is to meet the drinking water requirements across the State in view of the falling groundwater table and below deadstorage levels in major reservoirs

Rebutting the allegations of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) that drought conditions in Telangana were the result of the Congress rule, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy reminded the Opposition that there was deficit rainfall during the monsoon last year, resulting in less water in the reservoirs and falling groundwater table.

The Chief Minister observed that BRS president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao visited agriculture fields as part of the ‘Polam Bata’ programme only for political mileage ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

“We welcome his visit as he could at least think about the people’s issues now since he lost power, suffered a fracture and wit

A. Revanth Reddy

nessed the arrest of his daughter,” he said.

Responding to the allegations that 200 farmers had ended their life in the State in the 100 days since the Congress came to power, Mr. Revanth asked the BRS to submit a report within 48 hours to the government with details of names and villages of such farmers, if any, so that his government could provide their family with compensation after the election.

Mr. Revanth, along with Minister for IT Duddila Sridhar Babu and other Congress leaders, visited Tukkuguda near Hyderabad on Tuesday as Congress All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi are scheduled to address a public meeting there on April 6 as part of the Lok Sabha election campaign.

Drinking water priority

Speaking to the media on the occasion, Mr. Revanth slammed the Opposition comments that the government had failed to provide irrigation water to standing crops and said the government’s first priority is to meet the drinking water needs in view of the falling groundwater table and the belowdeadstorage levels in Nagarjunasagar and Srisailam projects.

“It is not fair to blame the Congress government for the drought. They (the BRS) were in power during the last rainy season. We (the Congress) came to power in December last year, which is the winter season. But KCR is talking nonsense about us,” he said.

Summer action plan

The CM said his government has already prepared a summer action plan to meet the drinkingwater needs in the State. On the allegations of ‘Rythu Bandhu’ (Rythu Bharosa) assistance not yet paid, he said the Congress government deposited financial assistance in the accounts of 64,75,581 farmers.

Only about four lakh farmers are yet to receive the assistance. The Chief Minister dared the Opposition for an open debate on the issue.