Hyderabad: Farmers’ issues such as free power are likely to be the focal points in Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s agenda if one goes by the previous statements made by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) on Wednesday changed its name to ‘Bharat Rashtra Samithi’ (BRS), heralding the party’s foray into national politics.
Rao has held several rounds of meeting with representatives of farmers’ unions from various states here and the meeting adopted a unanimous resolution to constitute a National Farmers’ United Forum to ensure the implementation of the Telangana government’s farmer welfare schemes in the country.
Rao had earlier promised to supply free power to farmers across the country if a non-BJP government was voted to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Defending his statement, he said it would cost only Rs 1.45 lakh crore if free power is extended to all farmers in the country.
He said it was a small amount when compared to Rs 12 lakh crore bank loans, which were ‘written off’ in the name of Non-performing Assets (NPA) to various corporate houses.
The party leader also time and again harped on optimum utilization of river waters in the country which is otherwise ‘wasted’ due to the lack of foresight of present NDA and previous UPA governments at the Centre.
The BRS is also likely to showcase the welfare programmes being implemented in Telangana like ‘Rythu Bandhu’ investment support schemes for farmers, ‘Rythu Bima’ life insurance for farmers and other initiatives in the agriculture sector.
The rechristened party would also present ‘Dalit Bandhu’ (grant of Rs 10 lakh per household to Dalits) to the nation.
The KCR-led government has recently issued an order hiking the quota to Scheduled Tribes to 10 percent from the existing six percent. Though a resolution was passed by the state Assembly in 2017 and sent for Presidential assent, it was not cleared by the union government.
Speaking to reporters after the renaming event, Telangana Minister E Dayakar Rao said the Chief Minister’s idea is to take the party to the national level even as the symbol and colour of TRS will remain the same.
Another minister Satyavathi Rathod said the welfare schemes that are implemented in Telangana would be replicated all over the country.
