"Telangana farmers in dire straits": BJP MP hits back at KCR over 'Ab Ki Baar Kisan Sarkar' slogan

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 28 : Lashing out at Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao for his 'Ab Ki Baar Kisan Sarkar' slogan, BJP MP Arvind Dharmapuri on Thursday said the Bharat Rashtriya Samithi chief shouldn't be raising such slogans at a time when the state's farmers are in "dire straits".

"Due to unseasonal rains in Telangana, thousands and lakhs of acres of crops have been damaged. The state government hasn't relief for the affected farmers as yet. KCR announced Rs 10,000 for each farmer as relief but the amount hasn't been released as yet. This is not the first time he has done this. In 2022, lakhs of acres of farmland were damaged because of excessive rainfall but not even a penny was announced as compensation," the BJP MP said.

"Today, he [KCR] is saying 'Ab ki baar Kisan Sarkar', when the farmers of Telangana are in dire straits," he said.

He claimed that despite prior alerts issued by the Met department, the state government did not plan for unseasonal rain and neither announced measures to safeguard the interests of farmers in the event of crop damage.

"KCR is busy extending his party's footprint in Maharashtra," he said.

Earlier this week, addressing a gathering in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, KCR raised the slogan 'Ab Ki Baar Kisan Sarkar' (Government for farmers to be elected next time).

He also asked farmers to vote for a government that will ensure their welfare and also pitched the "Telangana model" of governance in Maharashtra.

"Farmers should lead the movement for change, for realising the all-round development of a nation which is lagging behind," he had said earlier.