KTR accuses Telangana govt of conspiring to scrap free power scheme for farmers

Hyderabad, May 24 (IANS) BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao on Sunday alleged that the decision of the Congress government in Telangana to install meters on agricultural motors was taken with the sole intent of abolishing the free electricity scheme for farmers.

He also claimed that the government is trying to completely hand over the power sector to private entities under the guise of prepaid meters.

Addressing a meeting at Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) office, he said that Congress is conspiring to completely eliminate free electricity for farmers by installing meters on their agricultural motors. He claimed that the Congress government is plotting to remove the existing meters in every household and replace them with prepaid meters.

He said the State Cabinet reportedly took a decision on Saturday. He alleged that prepaid meters would also be introduced for all agricultural connections.

KTR urged people to oust Congress from power before meters are installed on agricultural motors and before prepaid meters are introduced in every household. He urged the public to rise up against the “power conspiracies” being orchestrated by the Congress party within the electricity sector.

He recalled that before the Assembly elections, BRS had warned the public that the free electricity scheme would be abolished if the Congress party came to power.

KTR reminded everyone that KCR had specifically cautioned that meters would be installed at motor pumps and that the electricity sector would be handed over to private entities under the guise of introducing prepaid meters.

The BRS leader noted that in the past, despite immense pressure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to install these prepaid meters—even to the extent of withholding a loan of Rs 30,000 crore to the state government—KCR had stood his ground and refused to install them.

However, KTR pointed out that the Congress government took a decision yesterday (Saturday) to install these meters across the board within the next three months. He stated that within this three-month timeframe, the existing meters would be removed and replaced with prepaid electricity meters, much like prepaid mobile phone connections.

KTR alleged that the Congress party is introducing these prepaid meters solely with the intention of abolishing the free electricity scheme. He asserted that the Cabinet took this decision with the singular objective of cancelling free electricity and with the ultimate goal of handing over the state’s power utilities to corporate giants.

The BRS leader remarked that the public is seething with anger against the Congress party. He added that the people would teach the Congress party a fitting lesson the very moment they get the opportunity to do so.

KTR stated that the public is ready to teach a fitting lesson to the Congress party, which has been making reckless promises while engaging in anarchy and corruption at every step. He alleged that, despite half of the five-year mandate granted by the people having elapsed, the Congress party has thrown up its hands in defeat, having failed to accomplish anything substantial for either the public or the state thus far.

–IANS

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