Telangana leaders debate election promises and farmer power

The political debate over unfulfilled election promises and agricultural power supply intensified in Telangana over the weekend, with leaders from the ruling Congress and opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) exchanging sharp challenges.

BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao, addressing party meetings, challenged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to declare he would contest future elections only after implementing all poll promises, which he enumerated as 420 specific commitments and the Congress party's six welfare guarantees. Rama Rao alleged the state government had failed to deliver on major pledges, including housing for the poor under the Indiramma scheme and the establishment of a welfare board for auto drivers with an annual financial assistance of Rs 12,000. He claimed that over 100 auto drivers had died by suicide since the Congress assumed power, attributing it to economic distress and unfulfilled promises.

A central point of contention is the government's proposal for a separate Farmers Distribution Company (DISCOM). Rama Rao alleged the move was a ploy to eventually withdraw the 24-hour free electricity supply to farmers, a policy initiated by the previous BRS...