Hyderabad: Former minister Harish Rao accused the Telangana government of neglecting farmers amid concerns over drought and El Niño conditions. He criticised the government’s El Niño preparedness and alleged confusion over a planned meeting with farmers.
According to Harish Rao, the government issued a circular on Sunday asking farmers to attend meetings at Rythu Vedikas. The circular stated that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and ministers would explain El Niño conditions to farmers. District agriculture officials also instructed MLAs to attend, he said.
However, officials reportedly announced the cancellation of a video conference at 9.52 am. At 11.15 am, they asked participants to join another video conference. Shortly afterwards, officials said the Chief Minister would not attend. Instead, the Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister would participate, Harish Rao alleged.
El Niño preparedness questioned over changes to farmers’ meeting
Harish Rao described the repeated changes as irresponsible while farmers faced uncertainty. He accused the government of treating a serious agricultural concern casually. He also questioned its commitment to addressing the potential impact of El Niño on farmers.
The former minister further alleged that the Chief Minister travelled to Goa while ministers went to Delhi. He criticised their travel plans, arguing that the leadership was away while farmers faced difficulties.
Harish Rao questioned whether the government was serious about El Niño preparedness. He also expressed anger over Revanth Reddy and the ministers travelling to Goa and Delhi instead of addressing farmers’ concerns.