HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao ( KCR) today , September 12, demanded the Centre to withdraw the Electricity Amendment Bill 2022 before farmers stand up for another agitation.
He unleashed a vehement attack on the Narendra Modi government during his speech in the State Legislative Assembly, accusing it of conspiring to destroy agriculture in the name of reform.
He claimed that if the power reforms law was put into effect, agriculture pump sets would need to have motors installed, which would be the end of farmers as they would become labourers in their own fields.
KCR urged with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rescind the bill on electricity reforms. "Modiji, for the love of God, withdraw the power reforms bill. You have a tendency of introducing legislation and then repealing it. You introduced a land acquisition code and then reversed it. You introduced three anti-farmer ordinances and later not only retracted them but also apologised, he added.
"Retract the power reforms law before anything goes wrong. Accept our demand with respect before people get up and start another movement," he said.
He stated unequivocally that Telangana will never consent to the installation of motors on agricultural pumpsets and that the state will continue to provide the agricultural sector with free electricity around-the-clock. He also warned that 39 lakh farmer families in the state would suffer greatly if the Center's power reforms were accepted.
KCR criticised the Modi government for its bad and undemocratic policies and for overthrowing non-BJP governments in states. KCR aims to soon create a national political organisation. He claimed that the BJP leadership was acting arrogantly toward other parties and cited the fact that it only received 36% of the vote to win the federal government.
He said the Tamil Nadu state BJP president warned Chief Minister M. K. Stalin of the BJP leaders' threats to create Eknath Shindes in other states run by non-BJP parties.
Hitler, Mussolini, and Napoleon, according to KCR, were bigger despots in history. "They all were brought down and became part of history," he added, adding that the current government at the Centre only has 18 to 20 months left.
"These are the two sectors remaining and there is a conspiracy to sell them too in the guise of reforms," KCR claimed, adding that the government was now attempting to hand over agriculture and electricity to corporations after selling away airports, ports, railways, and all other sectors. The cost of fertilisers, seeds, diesel, and other inputs has significantly increased. In order to force farmers to give over their lands to corporations that are prepared to take them over with official approval, the electricity tariff is being raised, he said.