Congress senior leader M Kodanda Reddy on Friday asked Finance Minister Etela Rajender to stop politicising the issue of suicide by farmers of Telangana.
Speaking to media persons at Gandhi Bhavan here, Kodanda Reddy said instead of trying to politicise the issue, the TRS Government should focus on helping the farmers, at least on humanitarian grounds.
“If the government can release Rs 10 crore for Bathukamma festival, why can't it release funds for the farmers' welfare?” he asked adding that the government should release a White Paper on the issue.
Kodanda Reddy said that at least 187 farmers committed suicide since TRS Government took over in June this year. However, not a single family has received any assistance from the government.
Admitting that more number of farmers had committed suicide during Congress regime, he said that the then Congress Governments, both at the Centre and State, extended immediate assistance to the families of those committed suicide.
He said a GO Ms No 696 was issued in 2006 giving a rehabiliation package to the victims. The Centre allocated Rs 50 lakh to each of the affected districts.
He also advised Nizamabad MP and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha to visit the families of those farmers who committed suicide on the occasion of Bathukamma festival.
