Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, on Tuesday, challenged BRS MLA and former Minister Harish Rao if he was ready to close his party if the Congress government waived off the ₹2 lakh farm loan by August 15.
The Chief Minister threw up this challenge in response to Mr. Harish Rao’s repeated claims that the former was desperately trying to mislead the farmers by taking oath on gods and goddesses during his election meetings. Mr. Harish Rao asked, in one of his meetings, whether the CM was ready to resign if the farm loan waiver was not implemented before August 15.
Mr. Reddy addressed a party workers’ meeting in his constituency Kodangal on Tuesday and later, addressed a public meeting at Bijnepally in Nagarkurnool district, where he reiterated his promise that the loan waiver would be completed by August 15. “I take oath on Jogulamba mata in Alampur that the loan waiver would be done before August 15,” he reiterated.
Continuing his tirade against BRS and BJP, Mr. Reddy argued that there was a concerted effort by both the parties to target him, a son of the ‘Palamuru’, as they were unable to digest that he had become the Chief Minister. “People of Palamuru had sent KCR to Parliament but he ignored the district that saved him when he feared losing the election from Karimnagar,” he said, and added, “KCR has failed to take up the Palamuru Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Project, ignored Tummila project and also forgot his promise of providing succour to people who lose their homes in Alampur due to floods in the Krishna River.”
Targeting the BJP, he said that BJP candidate from Mahabubnagar D.K. Aruna was trying to scuttle the development of Palamuru when the district got an opportunity to lead the State after 70 years. “I am not abusing Arunamma as she is alleging, only questioning her sincerity towards Palamuru,” he said. “What can I talk about BJP that lost its deposit in Gadwal,” he mocked her.
Praveen joined ‘Gadi’ party
The Chief Minister also said that BRS candidate R.S. Praveen Kumar was respected when he was in service and later in Bahujan Samaj Party. But his decision to join BRS surprised everyone as just three months ago he had claimed that the ‘BRS Gadi’ would be demolished.
“Mr. Praveen Kumar had the opportunity to join the Congress and fight against the feudal mindset of the BRS but he chose to carry KCR on his shoulders. It is time he explain whether he is against categorisation of SC reservations,” he added.
Appealing to voters to elect party candidate Mallu Ravi, he said that every vote to Mr. Praveen Kumar would go to KCR, who will ultimately ‘sell’ it to BJP, and assured people that it was his responsibility to see that all the pending projects in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district would be completed.
