A group of farmers from Karnataka staged a rally in the Kodangal Assembly constituency in Telangana, cautioning people against voting for the Congress party in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. The Congress party, on the other hand, alleged that this protest was orchestrated and paid for by the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). Approximately 200 farmers participated in the rally, where they highlighted the power shortage issues they face in Karnataka.
The farmers issued warnings that voting for the Congress would have detrimental effects on the agriculture sector. Kodangal is the constituency where Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A Revanth Reddy is contesting in the November 30 elections.
The farmers from border areas of Karnataka entered the Mahabubnagar district to draw attention to their problems in Karnataka, where the Congress recently came to power. They alleged that the Congress had failed to fulfill its promises of providing sufficient power supply. They asserted that despite promises of 10 hours of daily power supply, they now receive power for only a couple of hours.
The rally resulted in some tension, as local Congress leaders objected to the farmers' protest and asked them to return to their villages. The police intervened to prevent any untoward incidents, and the farmers eventually returned to their villages.
Karnataka has witnessed protests by farmers in recent days due to inadequate power supply to the agriculture sector, which has been aggravated by scanty rainfall and increased power consumption.
In response, the Telangana unit of the Congress accused the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) of bringing individuals from Karnataka and paying them to disrupt the party's prospects. They claimed that the BRS had resorted to such tactics because they couldn't convince Telangana farmers with their own arguments.
The protest by Karnataka farmers in Kodangal is significant due to Revanth Reddy's controversial remark that three hours of power supply were sufficient for Telangana farmers, which had triggered strong protests from the BRS. During the election campaign, BRS leaders have been highlighting the power issues faced by farmers in Karnataka and cautioning that voting for the Congress could lead to a similar situation in Telangana. The ruling party, BRS, is emphasizing its achievements in the power sector while seeking another mandate and claiming that Telangana is the only state in the country providing 24X7 free power to farmers.
