The Election Commission’s order imposing several conditions on implementing the second phase of Rythu Bandhu scheme has landed the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government in the state headed by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in a tight spot.
As per the scheme, each of 57.17 lakh farmers in over 10,800 villages would be given cash assistance of Rs 4,000 per acre during the Rabi season for purchasing farm inputs.
The TRS leaders thought the scheme would fetch tremendous mileage to the party in the coming assembly elections as distributing Rs 4,000 per acre to lakhs of farmers would mean directly bribing them.
Apparently, KCR thought of organising massive farmers’ melas to distribute Rythu Bandhu cheques to farmers before the announcement of election schedule in the second week of October.
He thought he still had a lot of time for the schedule, as once it is announced, the model code of conduct would come into force. Moreover, since it is an existing scheme, there might not be much objection to the distribution of cheques.
However, EC gave him a big shock by declaring that the model code of conduct had already come into force from September 6, the day on which the assembly was dissolved. And on Friday, EC imposed several conditions while giving approval to the Rythu Bandhu scheme.
The EC said the Rythu Bandhu scheme should be applicable only to the existing beneficiaries and no new beneficiary should be added to the list of eligible farmers.
The cash assistance should be credited directly to the accounts of the beneficiary farmers through electronic transfer; as such, the government should not take up any distribution of cheques to them.
The EC also directed that no publicity should be done for the implementation of Rythu Bandhu scheme and no public functions should be organised for distribution of cash or kind.
Above all, no political functionary should be allowed in the process of extending cash assistance to the farmers.
Now, the TRS leadership is said to be in second thoughts in implementing the Rythu Bandhu scheme. Since no meetings or special programmes are allowed, no distribution of cheques should be done and the TRS leaders including the chief minister have no role in the payment of the cash assistance, there is no point in KCR or his party hurriedly implementing the scheme.
The government can as well wait till November and credit the money directly to the farmers’ accounts.
A section of party leaders feel it is better to defer the programme till the elections, since it is anyway not fetching any mileage to the TRS. If the TRS comes back to power, it can implement the scheme as a bigger celebration.
Since the elections are anyway going to be held in the first week of December, the farmers can as well wait for just another month.
However, another section feels if the payment to farmers is delayed, it might prove counter-productive, as angry farmers might not vote for the TRS.
“Even if the amount is credited directly to their accounts without the involvement of the TRS leaders, the credit will go only to KCR,” they argue.