Revanth: Padayatra in entire Telangana soon
Malkajgiri MP ends his 10-day Rythu Bharosa Padayatra
Congress working president and Malkajgiri MP Revanth Reddy’s 10-day Rythu Bharosa Padayatra culminated at Ravirala, Maheshwaram, Rangareddy on Tuesday, with lakhs of party workers and farmers cheering him.
Revanth Reddy announced that he would do one yatra across Telangana after obtaining permission from the AICC.
Prior to the public meeting, Reddy was led onto a tractor rally from Tukkuguda to the venue, graced by two Congress working presidents, five ex-MPs and other top leaders.
Reddy said the party will fight both the state and central governments on the issue of farmers’ welfare and development and will not relent until both the governments took steps to withdraw their antifarming laws.
Revanth Reddy alleged that even though the farmers are fighting against the central government for more than two months over “antifarmer” laws, the Centre led by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi is insensitive to their voices and adopting an adamant stand.
“Since the BJP has a majority in Parliament, it has passed three farm laws. The first step opposing the farm laws was made at Nallamala. Telangana is a land of sacrifices. People of Telangana fought with several forces to realise its dream of a separate statehood. Likewise, farmers in Telangana would wage a war against the Centre until it rolled back the farm laws and another war against the state government for supporting the the Union Government,” Reddy said.
“Why did KCR take a U-turn on the farm bills after visiting Delhi, though he participated in a ‘Bharat Bandh’ on January 8? What did PM Modi do that made KCR take rest in his farm house,” the Congress leader questioned.
The Congress working president said if farm laws are implemented, the central and state governments will remove IKP centers and markets, and there will be no MarkFed and CCI to procure farm produce from farmers. “Farmers will be also deprived of minimum support price. Farmers will become slaves in their own lands and they have to sell the produce on prices decided by the corporate companies.”
Taking a dig at the Centre and the state government, the Malkajgiri MP said the two are hand-in-glove as regards trampling farmers’ interests. The livelihood of farmers is at stake, and this affects the peasants forming 80 per cent of the population.
He said PM Modi was not moved even after 195 farmers sacrificed their lives for the cause. He accused KCR of purchasing the farmland of Kadthal village at cheaper price in order to offer it to the corporate companies.
“KCR is asking Kadthal farmers to sell their land at `16 lakh per acre when its market price is over a crore. I ask KCR to sell his
1000-acre farmhouse at
`25 lakh per acre. I assure him that if he sells, the money will be deposited within 48 hours. You will not sell the land. How can you ask the villagers to offer their land at cheap prices,” Reddy asked.
He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of selling lakhs of acres in the country to two businessmen.
Revanth Reddy warned that if the Centre did not roll back the farmer laws, farmers will teach the BJP a lesson in the upcoming West Bengal polls. I have everything. I can feed my family for at least three generations. My life would be purposeless if I did not step out and stand up for the farmers while ‘Modi’ and ‘Kedi’ are looting the country. I urge KCR to pass a unanimous resolution opposing the farm laws and send it to the national capital.
The Malkajgiri MP concluded his speech by saying he would embark on one more padayatra which would cover the entire Telangana.
He said he would prepare a route map after obtaining permission from the AICC. Interestingly, former chief minister Y Rajashekhar Reddy's close aide and adviser E Suryanarayana Rao alias Sureedu met Revanth Reddy on stage. This was his second public appearance after 2016, after YSR’s death.