Congress urges Guv to withdraw cases against farmers

• TRS Government is acting extra Constitutional
• Uttam asks Guv to direct CM to visit Market Yards
• Congress wants government to be responsive to farmers in real time

Hyderabad, May 12: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday led a delegation of party senior leaders to Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan urging him to order the release of all farmers arrested in fictitious charges and withdrawal of all criminal proceedings initiated against them.

The Congress delegation comprised of senior leaders including Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Shabbir Ali, Dr. J. Geetha Reddy, Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy, KR Suresh Reddy, Gudur Narayana Reddy, K. Nagaiah and Nerella Sharada.

In the memorandum submitted to the Governor at Raj Bhavan on Friday evening, Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao was acting against poor farmers of Telangana. “The handcuffing of poor, small and marginal chili farmers Khammam yesterday while being produced in court has shocked the entire Telangana public. This is a culmination of ignoring agriculture and farming community by the TRS government on one hand and repressive, dictatorial tactics used by the present government against any form of protest,” he said in the memorandum.

Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the State Government has willfully neglected the procurement of remunerative prices for agricultural crops over the last three years. Chilli, Turmeric, Tur Dal, Soya, Paddy etc. all are having to be sold by the farmers at well below their cost of production. “When KCR repeatedly boasts of Telangana being a rich state and the present budget outlay being Rs. 1.49 crores, why is it that the government is not able to allocate Rs. 1,000 crores and buy agricultural products at prices that make agriculture a viable proposition? Why is it that CM KCR spends hundreds of crores on his official residence, cars, buses, foreign travel in charter jets, but is unable to come to the rescue of small and marginal farmers in Telangana?” he asked.

Stating that almost 70% of the Telangana population was dependent on agriculture and allied activity, Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the TRS Government did not make any effort to help out agriculturists. In such a serious agrarian crisis prevalent in the State, why is it that the Telangana CM has not found time to visit the agricultural market yards and interact with the farmers who are unable to sell their products at remunerative prices? Why is it that the CM of Telangana not found time to visit and console even one of the 3,000 odd farmers’ families who have lost their bread winner to suicides? Have the Telangana CM and the ministers become so insensitive, that they are accusing genuine farmers in distress of being rowdies and anti-national?” he asked.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that farmers in Telangana have been heavily indebted due to poor governance, failure of monsoons, unseasonal rains and thunderstorms, fake seeds and market syndication, for the past more than three years. “Telangana government failed to release relief funds of Rs.989 crores on time and in full. Various other schemes have been scrapped or under-spent. CAG has made critical remarks on implementation of several schemes including crop loan waiver, crop insurance and other necessary support mechanisms for farmers. Private and public loans became expensive due to inefficient loan waiver scheme and demonetization, adding to the cost of cultivation. The steep rise in cost of cultivation has been acknowledged even by the Telangana and Central governments. Drastic fall in prices of crop harvests, making them un-remunerative, has left the farmers in distress,” he said.

The TPCC President said that the Telangana farmers have suffered losses due to an indifferent and inefficient government, unseasonal rains, bad quality seeds and demonetization, to name a few.

He condemned chaining of farmers accused under false sections, as if they are habitual criminals and goondas. “TRS Government is acting extra Constitutional and is harassing farmers, whose main objective and demand is fair price for their harvests, produced under duress and great hardships. It refuses to recognize the justifiable demand of farmers for fair prices, reflecting the cost of cultivation. It has failed in responding appropriately and has stopped far short of procurement that has been recommended to maintain prices in the agricultural markets,” he said.

Therefore, Uttam Kumar Reddy demanded that the Governor ensure release of all farmers and withdrawal of all criminal proceedings initiated against them. He also demanded that all transport restrictions on farmers be lifted and all check posts and police personnel from inside agricultural markets be removed. He also urged the Governor to ask the government to issue an apology to the farmers who have been harassed, abused, vilified and left stranded in agricultural markets. He said that Chief Minister should be asked to visit agricultural markets to give confidence to the farmers that democracy and Constitutionally endorsed State mechanisms are present to protect their interests.

The TPCC Chief also sought an assurance that all crops are procured and the State Government is made to submit pre-harvest procurement plan for all crops produced in the State. He said bonus should provided to all farmers, who were forced to sell their harvests (including but not limited to Mirchi, Turmeric, Cotton, Erra Jonnalu, Mango and Paddy), which should be equal to the gap between cost of cultivation and market price, at least for 2016-17 year, if not before as well.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the State Government should be directed to be responsive in real time to the problems of farmers. “Farmers and rural distraught is increasingly becoming exponential without proper, appropriate and consultative relief procedures and disbursal,” he said. He also demanded that the government provide compensation to over 3,000 families of farmers who committed suicide in the last three years. (eom)