Let farmers have a say in deciding land rate for acquisition, says BJP

Telangana BJP president criticizes Chief Minister for coercing farmers, urges dialogue over land acquisition, releases chargesheet against government.

Telangana BJP president and Union Minister of Coal & Mines G. Kishan Reddy has urged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to ‘sit with the farmers, hold talks with them and offer them the land rate of their choice for acquisition, instead of coercing or unleashing the police force on them’.

“We are not against new industries or providing jobs for the unemployed youth. There is a lot of uncultivable land with the farmers which the government can make use of. Using the police to foist false cases or beating up farmers protesting against the acquisition of their farmlands as it happened in Lagcherla in the CM’s constituency is uncalled for,” he told a press conference here on Sunday.

The Congress, when in Opposition, had strongly opposed acquiring farm lands for ‘Pharma City’ by the previous BRS government and cannot sing a different tune now. The same goes for the Musi Rejuvenation project where the government could take it up without demolishing houses of the poor and building retaining walls as was done by the erstwhile Nizam, he said, after releasing a ‘chargesheet’ against the government.

The six-page chargesheet lists out the various promises giving specific timelines for the implementation made by the ruling party before the Assembly elections.

“I am not making any fresh charges, but only reminding the Chief Minister about the assurances made with not a single timeline met whether it is in providing financial support to farmers, farm insurance, enhanced pensions to the aged/disabled, loan waiver, job calendar and so on in the last 365 days,” he said.

“Mr. Revanth Reddy is answerable to the people about the failure to implement the guarantees and other promises instead of resorting to personal attacks against those questioning him. We have a right to question the government and we are doing so in a constructive manner,” he added.

The BJP leader said he was ready for a public debate with the Chief Minister on the implementation of the guarantees provided the latter refrains from using ‘unparliamentary’ language akin to former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Senior party leaders including MPs — Eatala Rajender (Malakjgiri), D.K. Aruna (Mahabubnagar), M. Raghunandan Rao (Medak), legislature party leader A. Maheshwar Reddy and others were present.