HYDERABADGovernment Whip Ch. Vijaya Ramana Rao on Sunday accused senior BRS Deputy Floor leader T. Harish Rao of spreading ‘false propaganda’ over the drought situation and attempting to malign Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for political gain.Addressing a press conference, Mr. Vijayaramana Rao said the impact of El Nino was being felt globally and the State government was advising farmers to shift from paddy to less water-intensive crops to minimise losses. He said the government was taking all necessary measures to protect farmers from the effects of deficient rainfall.Refuting Mr. Harish Rao’s claim that Telangana had not witnessed drought during the BRS regime, the Peddapalli MLA said farmers faced severe agricultural and drinking water crises due to inadequate rainfall in 2014, 2015 and 2019.Alleging that Mr. Harish Rao was trying to tarnish the image of the Chief Minister, Mr. Vijaya Ramana Rao said the BRS leader was making baseless allegations to strengthen his position within the party and outshine BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao.He further alleged that the Congress government had recorded good agricultural output over the past three years and that Mr. Harish Rao was attempting to create distrust among farmers by blaming the government for the drought. He urged Mr. Harish Rao to refrain from making what he termed misleading statements on issues affecting farmers. Published - July 19, 2026 08:30 pm IST