Etela Rajender a Beneficiary of Rythu Bandhu Like Poor Farmers?

Hyderabad: When former Telangana health Minister Etela Rajender made an attempt to take on Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for implementing the Rythu Bandhu scheme for all agricultural property owners in the State, he was asking for trouble.

He claimed to be opposed to the programme being extended to landlords who pay taxes but conveniently omitted the fact that he and his family, who are far from impoverished, had relished the advantages for three years, earning a staggering Rs 10.24 lakh under the programme.

Rajender's family owns roughly 64.5 acres in Devaryamjal village of Shamirpet Mandal in Medchal Malkajgiri district, according to official data. While 13.09 acres are registered in Rajender's name (Pattadar Passbook number T06130 250195), 43.06 acres are registered in his wife Etela Jamuna's name (Pattadar Passbook number T06130 250194), and another 8.35 acres are registered in his son Nithin Reddy's name (Pattadar Passbook number T06130 250496).

Rajender's family has been receiving Rythu Bandhu since the 2018 Yasangi season and will continue to do so until the conclusion of the 2020 Yasangi season. According to the scheme's regulations, the money was deposited into the bank accounts of the three recipients. For the 2018 Yasangi season, Rajender received Rs 59,900, Jamuna Rs 1.72 lakh, and Nithin Reddy Rs 35,500.

Rajender received Rs 66,125, Jamuna received Rs 2.15 lakh, while Nithin Reddy received Rs 44,375 when the State government increased the Rythu Bandhu payment from Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 every season in 2020. Jamuna did not get a sum of Rs 2.15 lakh during the 2019 Vaanakalam season for unclear reasons.

The Chief Minister had previously urged landowners who could afford to forego the financial advantage of the programme to return the money, which would then be utilized to help farmers on rainy days. Despite the fact that numerous farmers, including TRS officials, returned their benefits, Rajender ignored KCR's request. And Rajender's current assertion that he opposes expanding the incentive to large landlords reveals his duplicity.

"I never crossed the party’s Lakshman Rekha and opposed any welfare schemes. I was only against certain issues like extending the Rythu Bandhu schemes to big landlords, holding hundreds of acres," during a press conference held at his home on Friday, he informed reporters. Rajender and his family possess more than 120 acres in the state, according to his own admission.