‘If Telangana Can, Why Can’t You?’ KCR’s ‘Maha’ Pro-Farmer Pitch for 2024 Lok Sabha Elections – News18

A pro-farmer pitch, addressing the cadre and supporters and seeking the blessings of Lord Vithoba in Pandharpur — Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief and Telangana Chief Minister KC Rao, who began his two-day tour of Maharashtra with his MLAs and MPs on Monday, has kicked off his Lok Sabha campaign in the state.

Criticising the political parties in the state, KCR compared the situation of farmers in Telangana and Maharashtra. Claiming that not a single party that came to power has done anything for the farmers of Maharashtra, KCR said, “A lot could have been done for farmers. If a small state like Telangana can implement welfare scheme for farmers, why can’t Maharashtra? The reason is if they implement pro-farmer schemes, farmers will become rich and politicians will become poor. Which they certainly don’t ​want.”

He said, “We have come here to seek the blessings of Lord Vithhal, but all parties of Maharashtra have started attacking us. It has been just four months that we have started our expansion in Maharashtra…We are a very small party, still they are afraid of us.”

Commenting on the criticism, KCR said, “The Congress calls the BRS the ‘B-team of the BJP’, the BJP calls his party the ‘B-team of the Congress’, but in reality, we are a team that represents farmers, minorities, Dalits and backward people. We are the only party which said, ‘Abki baar, Kisaan Sarkar’.”

WATER, ONION & CANE FARMERS

KCR also targeted the ruling Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government for not providing enough water to farmers for a good yield. “We have enough water, but the current government is not doing anything. Different districts of Maharashtra such as Solapur, Akola, Chatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, etc. are still facing water crunch. Many villages in these districts are getting water once a week. The existing water policy of the country should be changed and a new water policy should be implemented, which is possible if all take efforts, as we have enough water resources.”

As onion-producing farmers of Maharashtra are not getting good prices for their yield, KCR’s BRS has asked the state government to allow the farmers to sell their produce in the Telangana market.

KCR also questioned the state government over the sugarcane prices. In his speech, he said, “Why do farmers have to suffer to get a good price for their produce? Why do they have to hold a long march for their basic demands, Sugarcane farmers never get their money on time in Maharashtra, which is demoralising. Unless a pro-farmer government comes to the state, nothing will change.”

ON FADNAVIS

In his 35-minute speech KCR also criticised Deputy CM Fadnavis. “When I had come to Nanded for a party function, Fadnavis criticised me, saying that I should focus on Telangana and not Maharashtra. But let me tell him, if you implement pro-farmer schemes like us, I will not come here. He has no answer to this as they don’t want to implement it.”

KCR also told to the crowd how his government is doing transparent business and the welfare schemes that directly credit the amount in the bank accounts of beneficiaries.

KCR announced that Bhagirath Bhalke, who left the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and joined his party, has his full support and requested people to elect him in upcoming election which will help the BRS develop Solapur districts.