EC Says CM Revanth Reddy Violated MCC; Defers Disbursal under Rythu Bharosa till After May 13

By making statements to claim credit for the disbursement of farmers' benefit under Rythu Bharosa, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy violated model code, said the ECI. The poll panel ordered deferral of the undisbursed instalments under the scheme till after polling day, i.e May 13.

Delhi : Taking cognisance of the statements made by Telangana's Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on "Rythu Bharosa" scheme, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday said that the CM violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

"After taking cognizance of the attempts by Chief Minister of Telangana Revanth Reddy to claim credit for the disbursement of the Rabi Instalments under ongoing ‘Rythu Bharosa’ (farmers scheme) and violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by making statements to the media, the Election Commission of India today has ordered deferral of the undisbursed instalments till after poll day i.e May 13, 2024", an official statement said.

"This decision comes in response to an inexplicable and abnormal delay in the disbursement process which usually happens in the month of Nov-Dec, coupled with concerns over attempts to politicise the ongoing scheme during the General Elections 2024", it said.

It is worth noting that similar directives were issued during the Telangana Assembly elections in 2023 for the "Rythu Bandhu" scheme. In that instance, a Minister of the erstwhile BRS government violated MCC by attempting to take credit for the scheme's disbursement during the election period.

In the light of these concerns, the poll panel has directed the deferment of the undisbursed instalment of the Rythu Bharosa Scheme to until after the poll day of 13th May 2024. A directive has been issued to the Government of Telangana. This decision is aimed at ensuring the integrity of the electoral process and preventing the misuse of government schemes for electoral gains.

"Any attempt to politicise or exploit such Government schemes for electoral purposes will be dealt with firmly to uphold the sanctity of the democratic process", the poll panel said.

Similarly, the poll panel on Monday censured YSRCP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Opposition leader Chandrababu Naidu for violating the MCC, directing them to “remain careful during public utterances”.

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