Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS) chief K. Kavitha on Sunday, 4 October directly appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene on behalf of 60 lakh farmers in Telangana reeling under a severe drought, while also accusing the state's Congress government of 'utter inefficiency and neglect' in responding to the agrarian crisis. The appeal, made in Hyderabad, comes as drought conditions — linked by Kavitha to the impact of a Super El-Niño — continue to intensify across southern India.

The Core Appeal to the Centre

Kavitha argued that the Telangana state government's refusal to formally declare drought-affected areas has effectively blocked access to Union Government relief, a pathway that states like Maharashtra and Karnataka have reportedly already utilised. She accused the state administration of abdicating responsibility and 'resorting only to private rituals while farmers suffer.'

'Our CM has given up... I request the PM, kindly help us out,' Kavitha said, in a direct appeal to Prime Minister Modi. She added that Telangana urgently needs free power to keep farming operations alive. 'Only 24 hours of free power can save farmers of Telangana. This is a matter of life and death,' she stated.

Allegations Against the State Government

Kavitha further alleged that since the formation of Telangana, the state has not received a single rupee from the Centre, a claim that adds political weight to her demand for direct federal intervention. She called on the Union Government to look at the broader drought situation across the southern states — specifically naming Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra — and redirect surplus power from better-off states. 'If you do not support us during this time of distress, people of Telangana and farmers of Telangana will never forgive you,' she warned.

Wider Remarks on Systemic Reform

Kavitha also used the occasion to weigh in on the nationwide youth protests over recurring exam paper leaks. While acknowledging the protesters, she argued that individual resignations — such as that of a Union Minister over the controversy — do not amount to systemic change. 'They got the resignation of the Union Minister that they wanted, but does that today assure that no further paper leaks will take place?' she asked, pointing out that the National Testing Agency (NTA) remains structurally unchanged and lacks independence.

Extending the same logic to election administration, she called for structural fixes over symbolic exits, suggesting that a paper ballot system could offer a more credible path to electoral accountability. 'Even if the CEC resigns, what is the use? The whole system has to change. Accountability has to be fixed in the system,' she said.

Context and What Is at Stake

The drought crisis in Telangana is unfolding against a broader backdrop of erratic monsoon distribution this year, with some regions of India recording surplus rainfall even as southern states face acute deficits. The TRS, now in opposition in Telangana following the Congress's state election victory, has increasingly positioned itself as a watchdog on agrarian issues. Kavitha's appeal marks one of the most direct inter-governmental escalations of the drought issue so far, and the Centre's response — or silence — is likely to define the political narrative around the crisis in the weeks ahead.