Two days before Telangana votes for Assembly polls, a huge political row erupted following the Election Commission’s withdrawal of permission granted to the incumbent KCR-led Telangana Government to provide financial aid to farmers for Rabi crops under the Rythu Bandhu Scheme.
This decision was made after a State Minister violated the model code by publicly announcing about it.
In the high-stakes battle of the polls, the Congress is aiming to dislodge two-term Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) in the State. The party is highlighting irregularities in various schemes by filing complaints with the election watchdog.
Meanwhile, the BJP has also successfully raised its saffron flag in a campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP is directly attacking the CM to improve its voting percentage in the southern State.
While the Congress, which had complained against the BRS to the EC a day earlier, said the withdrawal of permission was the result of the “irresponsible and self-serving” approach of the Rao-led party, the CM alleged that beneficiaries of Rythu Bandhu in the Congress had lodged a complaint with the poll panel asking it to stop the disbursal.
On its part, the BJP said the Congress Government in Karnataka has been placing advertisements in the Telangana media with an eye on the upcoming Assembly polls in the State. The party urged the EC to take action against the Congress.
A BJP delegation, including Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, former Minister Prakash Javadekar, and party leaders Sudhanshu Trivedi and Om Pathak, submitted a complaint to the EC, alleging that the Congress has violated the Representation of the People Act and the Model Code of Conduct.
“It is a regular programme. Not a new programme. This is the sixth year of Rythu Bandhu disbursal. They think that if Rythu Bandhu is stopped, they will get votes. How many days can you (the Congress) stop it?,” Rao asked. He exuded confidence the installment will be deposited once BRS returns to power after December 3, the date of poll results, along with other States, which went to polls this month.
The poll panel had given its nod to the State Government to disburse the Rabi installment during the model code of conduct period on certain conditions and asked it not to publicise the disbursement during the poll code. After the State Finance Minister, T Harish Rao, made a public announcement about the disbursement of Rabi installments, the poll panel sent a stern message, instructing the Chief Electoral Officer to communicate its decision regarding the withdrawal of permission
Congress spokesman Jairam Ramesh said nobody else is to be blamed other than the ‘gang of 4’ ruling Telangana, who in their desperation to hang onto power have ended up denying what is owed to farmers. BRS MLC K Kavitha blamed “dirty politics” of the grand old party. She also said the scheme is not an election promise and an ongoing one. Party leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Sachin Pilot held several public meetings in the poll-bound State as the campaign will come to an end on Tuesday.
Asserting that the BJP will bring Telangana out of the clutches of BRS, Modi in a rally on Monday said it is his party’s resolve to send the corrupt leaders of the ruling party to jail.
In another public meeting at Huzurabad, Home Minister Amit Shah claimed there was an atmosphere of “anger” against the ruling BRS in Telangana and that the people did not want the Rao-led dispensation to come back to power. Also, he participated in road shows in Peddapalli and Mancherial.
Attacking the BRS and Congress over ‘parivarvaad’ (dynasty) rule, Shah said the BJP and Modi have decided to make a BC (backward caste) leader as Chief Minister in Telangana, if the party is elected to power and to provide a “vertical quota” to the Madiga community of SCs.
“And hence, the time has come to give VRS to BRS and the time has come to send their vehicle (BRS symbol car) to the garage,” Shah said.
“On November 30, does this KCR Government have to be changed or not? A Backward Caste should be made as chief minister or not?,” Shah asked the crowd.
Shah said the Congress, BRS and Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM are dynastic parties and accused that these three parties believe in corruption and vote to them means vote to corruption.