The Rythu Bandhu scheme launched by Telangana government headed by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday seems to have shaken the opposition parties.Considered to be the game-changer in the Telangana politics, the scheme envisages distribution of Rs 4,000 per acre per season to each farmer.
In the last two days, nearly 10 lakh farmers got the cheques and many of them got the cheques encashed at the banks immediately.Naturally, when the farmers get so much money – ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 for their 5-10 acres of land, they will be under obligation to throw party to friends and relatives.
Reports of farmers spending money on liquor have come from some parts of the state.Naturally, the BJP and the Congress leaders have pointed out how the sudden availability of money led to wastage in the name of partying. When they pointed it out, the TRS leaders have started fretting and fuming at them.
“We strongly condemn the allegations levelled by the Opposition leaders that Rythu Bandhu money was going into the cash boxes of liquor shops.This is nothing but insulting the farming community, which suffered a lot during the Congress and the BJP regimes,” TRS spokesperson Karna Prabhakar and others said.They demanded that the BJP and Congress leaders should apologise to the farmers.
“The BJP also announced Rs 1 lakh to each farmer towards crop loan waiver. Does this amount also go into pocket of liquor merchants?” the spokesperson added.Minister for animal husbandry Talasani Srinivasa Yadav said those who criticised Rythu Bandhu scheme should be beaten with chappals.
“The Congress leaders who say the farmers were spending the Rythu Bandhu money on consuming beers should be driven away from the villages,” he said.
