Hyderabad, Aug 18 (UNI) BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) has written a letter to Rahul Gandhi and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge regarding the loan waiver scheme in Telangana.
In the letter, a copy of which was released to the media on Sunday, KTR expressed concern on behalf of the farmers in Telangana, who he claims have been betrayed by the Congress party’s government.
KTR stated that numerous farmers in Telangana are suffering due to the failure of the Congress-led government, particularly in the implementation of the farmer loan waiver, which the government had touted as a major achievement. He reminded the Congress leaders that the Rs 2 lakh loan waiver for farmers was a key promise made under the Warangal Rythu Declaration during the election campaign.
KTR accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who assumed power in Telangana under what he described as false pretences, of deceiving the state’s farmers. He alleged that, despite promising to waive Rs 2 lakh in loans in one go during the election campaign, the CM delivered the waiver in three instalments. KTR claimed that the government’s declaration of 100 percent loan waiver completion without actually waiving even 40 percent of the loans is a blatant lie. He included in his letter a detailed comparison between the government’s claims and the actual situation on the ground, questioning whether the Congress leadership is aware of the discrepancies.
KTR highlighted that during BRS’s tenure, Rs 17,000 crore was spent solely on waiving off farmers’ loans, benefiting 36 lakh farmers by freeing them from debt. He argued that if the Congress had genuinely completed a Rs 2 lakh loan waiver, the amount spent should have been much higher, and the number of beneficiaries should have nearly doubled. However, he pointed out that only Rs 17,900 crore was spent under the current loan waiver, which he believes is a testament to the Chief Minister’s negligence. He further accused the Congress of reducing the number of beneficiaries from 47 lakh farmers to just 22 lakh.
KTR criticised the Congress for not meeting its original estimate of Rs 49,500 crore for the loan waiver, as per the state-level bankers’ committee. He noted that the initial announcement of a Rs 40,000 crore loan waiver was later reduced to Rs 31,000 crore during a state cabinet meeting, and even then, the allocated amount was further slashed to Rs 26,000 crore. He claimed that only Rs 17,933 crore was disbursed in three installments and alleged that the Chief Minister falsely claimed to have completed the waiver process, leaving many farmers in distress.
The letter also described incidents of unrest across Telangana, where farmers protested against the government’s failure to waive their loans. In Adilabad district, non-loan-waived farmers took to the streets, and a farmer in Karimnagar attempted suicide by consuming insecticide due to the unfulfilled promise. Protests were also reported in front of various banks, with farmers demanding the loan waiver be implemented as promised.
KTR noted that more than 1,20,000 complaints were received on the helpline set up by BRS regarding the loan waiver within a week. He urged the Congress leadership to fulfil its promise to the farmers and complete the loan waiver for all eligible farmers without any conditions. Until then, he vowed to continue the fight on behalf of Telangana’s farming community.
