Hyderabad, State BJP president G Kishan Reddy on Wednesday alleged that the Congress government in Telangana has betrayed farmers by not honoring its promise of farm loan waiver made before the assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference, Reddy, who is also the Union Tourism Minister, said that before coming to power the grand old party had promised to pay Rs 15,000 annually to tenant farmers and a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal for paddy over the MSP. Had also promised.

“Within 100 days of forming the government in Telangana, Congress had promised to implement loan waiver for farmers. He promised to waive off the loan of up to Rs 1 lakh of each farmer. The Congress government is not taking any steps towards completing it,” he said.

He alleged that Congress leaders made the announcement on December 9, the birthday of former AIC chairperson Sonia Gandhi, but failed to implement it.

Reddy further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has issued instructions to the concerned departments to procure even parboiled rice from Telangana regardless of the quantity.

Noting that the Center is ready to purchase adequate quantity of paddy or rice, he said the state government should not create problems.

The BJP also accused the state government of 'failing' to supply an agreed quantity of rice for the 2023-24 Kharif season and said 2. million tonnes of the commodity was still pending to be supplied to the Centre.

According to Reddy, the central government had agreed to purchase 7.5 million tonnes of paddy for the Rabi season, while only 3.3 million tonnes was sent to the Centre.

Reddy said, the central government is ready to buy 5 million tonnes of rice from Telangana.

The Telangana Cabinet on May 21 decided to give a bonus of Rs 500 on MSP to farmers cultivating good varieties of paddy.