Key Points
KTR acknowledges Sitharaman's stance on loan waiver discrepancies
FM accuses Telangana govt of incomplete loan waivers
KTR slams BJP leaders for ignoring farmers
State claims Rs 20,616 crore spent on waivers
"While I may have many issues with madam FM Nirmala Sitharaman Garu and her economic policies, I am thankful to her for this. Thank you for taking this up and raising your voice to highlight the plight of the farmers in Telangana," K.T. Rama Rao posted on his X handle on Thursday.
During a reply in Rajya Sabha on the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 on Wednesday, she attacked the government in Telangana for not properly implementing the farm loan waiver scheme.
Sitharaman alleged that half the farmers were left without loan waiver but the banks put their name on record, thereby making them ineligible for new loans also.
She was responding to BRS member Ravi Chandra Vaddiraju's statement about the loan waiver scheme in Telangana.
BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao alleged that loans of not even 30 per cent farmers were waived off.
"Farmer suicides are increasing. Raithu Bandhu isn't being released. There is a severe water crisis. This is the first time in a decade the farming community in Telangana is in severe distress," claimed the former minister.
K.T. Rama Rao, however, also slammed the Telangana BJP leaders for not speaking in support of farmers.
"But also let me tell you, Nirmala Sitharaman ji, your local BJP leadership is busy acting like the personal staff of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. They don't utter a word in support of the farmers here and in turn attack us for questioning the government's laxity," he said.
Telangana's Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao told the Assembly last week that the state government had completed farm loan waiver.
He said the government spent Rs. 20,616 crore to waive off farm loans of up to Rs.2 lakh. He claimed that around 25 lakh farm families had benefitted from the scheme.
