Rao’s criticism follows an incident involving Gatti Siva Lingaiah, a farmer from Nennela mandal in Mancherial district, who faced harsh consequences for not repaying an agricultural loan. Lingaiah, who borrowed Rs 1.5 lakh from the district cooperative central bank, was hopeful for a loan waiver promised by the Congress government.
Hyderabad: Voicing grave concern over the treatment meted out to farmers defaulting on repayment of agriculture loans by bankers, BRS leader and former Minister T. Harish Rao on Wednesday held Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy squarely responsible for the plight of farmers in Telangana.
Rao’s criticism comes in the wake of an incident involving Gatti Siva Lingaiah, a farmer from Nennela mandal in Mancherial district, who faced severe repercussions for failing to repay an agricultural loan.
Lingaiah, who borrowed Rs 1.5 lakh from the district cooperative central bank, was hopeful of a loan waiver as promised by the Congress government. However, the promise was not fulfilled, and the bank, having already collected three instalments, demanded that he close his account.
In a distressing turn of events, bank officials reportedly ripped apart the doors of Lingaiah’s house while he was away knocking the doors of other farmers seeking help in the village to clear his loan instalment. This incident has highlighted the harsh treatment farmers face from banks due to the unfulfilled promises of the loan waiver scheme.
Rao said Revanth Reddy was committing fraud on the farmers in the name of the Rs 2 lakh loan waiver, which he said had become a curse for the community as a whole. He emphasized that the pride and dignity of farmers were at stake due to the government’s failure to deliver on its promises.
He questioned the government’s inaction when bank staff harass farmers at their homes, calling the Chief Minister’s boasts about the loan waiver a slap in the face to those affected by such incidents. Rao drew attention to the broader issue of bulldozers being used to demolish the houses of the poor while bank recovery officers subject farmers to torture.
He questioned whether this was the “Indiramma Rajyam” that the Congress had promised to the people.
He called for immediate action to address the injustice faced by farmers and urged the government to fulfill its promises.
