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ADILABAD: Former minister Jogu Ramanna of the BRS on Monday alleged that BJP MLA Payal Shankar and Adilabad MP Godam Nagesh were indulging in diversionary politics by misleading farmers in the name of the Fasal Bheema Yojana to protect their political interests. He said BJP leaders had failed to ensure that the Central government and the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) relaxed the permissible moisture content in cotton and revoked the restriction limiting purchases to seven quintals per acre, despite their party being in power at the Centre. Speaking to the media, Ramanna accused BJP leaders of misleading distressed farmers by blaming the state government for not implementing the Fasal Bheema Yojana and provoking them on the issue, while ignoring the real concerns of moisture limits and purchase restrictions. He also questioned the decision to make farmers’ thumb impressions mandatory for soya bean purchases instead of using the existing Aadhaar-enabled service with OTP verification. He said that earlier, a farmer’s family member could complete the transaction using an OTP without the farmer’s physical presence, but the new rule was intended to create technical hurdles and discourage purchases from farmers. Meanwhile, BJP district president Brahmanand led a delegation that submitted a memorandum to collector Rajarshi Shah, demanding that the state government implement the Fasal Bheema Yojana for farmers’ benefit. Separately, Adilabad MLA Payal Shankar and Mudhole MLA Ramarao Patel met Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageshwar Rao and requested him to relax the moisture limit on cotton and withdraw the restriction on purchasing only seven quintals per acre.
