Hyderabad, Aug 16 (IANS): Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao on Thursday accused the Congress government in Telangana of deceiving and defrauding farmers under the guise of a Rs 2 lakh loan waiver.

Reacting to the announcement made by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy while launching the third and final phase of loan waiver, he said this once again proved that "Congress is synonymous with deceit".

KTR, as the BRS leader is popularly known, slammed the government for reducing the number of beneficiaries.

He said that those excluded from the waiver will undoubtedly protest from tomorrow.

KTR demanded that the Congress government explain to the state's farmers how they managed a Rs 2 lakh loan waiver with only Rs 17,900 crore, while the BRS government spent Rs 17,000 crore on a Rs 1 lakh waiver.

He dismissed the Congress scheme as a "million-dollar joke" and compared it to the bogus Paddy bonus scheme. He further criticized the reduction in the number of beneficiaries despite doubling the loan waiver amount, calling it a blatant example of Congress's fraudulent policies.

KTR remarked that during the election campaign, Congress promised a complete loan waiver to all farmers, creating false hopes. He recalled the statement of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, urging farmers to secure loans up to Rs. 2 lakhs quickly. However, after assuming power and over eight months in office, Congress has backtracked on its promises, imposing countless conditions and pushing thousands of farmers into further distress.

Another BRS leader T. Harish Rao has also criticised CM Revanth Reddy for breaking the loan waiver promise

"Revanth Reddy keeps proving that he is not fit to be Chief Minister. In the history of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, there has never been a more disgraceful Chief Minister," said Harish Rao.

The former minister alleged that despite swearing on gods, Revanth Reddy did not keep his promises and instead made false accusations against the BRS and him.

He said before the Assembly elections, Revanth Reddy promised to waive farm loans of Rs 40,000 crore.

"When he couldn’t fulfill this, he staged another drama before the Parliament elections. He then claimed he would waive Rs 31,000 crore by August 15, which is Rs 9,000 crore less than his original promise. If the Congress government is waiving Rs 2 lakhs in loans, how can there be only 22 lakh farmers, and how can it cost just Rs 17,869 crore?" he asked