Telangana Government noted that as many as 1900 farmers committed suicide in the past two years in the state. Chief Secretary S.P. Singh submitted a report to the Rajya Sabha Committee on Government Assurances giving details of farmer suicides in 2015 and 2016
In its report, the government quoted that 1358 farmers in the year 2015 while 632 farmers in the year 2016 had committed suicide.
The farmers took the extreme step due to crop loss and debt burden as a majority of the farmers, had sown commercial crops.
The numbers which matched with the numbers provided by National Crime Records bureau were previously rejected by the Telangana government. According to NCRB Telangana is in second position in farmer suicides while Maharashtra tops the charts in 2015.
Three farmers were killed and several left injured in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur district after police opened fire during a protest demanding support prices and loan waiver on Tuesday. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident fired at farmers. However, Home Minister Bhupendra Singh, denied involvement of cops in the shooting. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attacking the BJP government said tweeted,“This govt is at war with the farmers of our country”.
Mandsaur , 350 kilometres from state capital Bhopal, is drought hit region that lists among India’s highest farmer suicides. After the firing, angry farmers ransacked, set ablaze a police station and flogged several security personnel.
The administration rushed extra forces and allegedly withdrew internet services to stop social media rumours about violence. However, the home minister rubbished the allegations.
Hundreds of farmers amassed in the district as part of their week-long protest demanding fair prices that cover their input costs, a loan waiver and a farm package to tide over losses incurred by the drought. Chief Minister announced measures to pacify the protesting farmers on Monday. However, the farmers did not call off the strike. Several regions across the state are witnessing similar protests and violence.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressing a public meeting organised by the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee at Sangareddy, said that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is behaving as if the state’s water and land belongs to him. He said that KCR’s house worth 350crore rupees was built using the money of students and people. He said Telangana was not formed to attract MLA’s from other parties into TRS. Rahul asked “Did four crore people struggle to work for one family. Did the students and farmers fight for the family?”
The Member of Parliament of Amethi deplored that Narendra Modi in Delhi and KCR in Telangana amended the land acquisition bill brought by the UPA government. He said that when congress comes to power in Telangana, his party will promote Made in Telangana and phones manufactured in the state will have made in Telangana imprinted on it. He said that the country is facing severe unemployment problem now which is highest in past seven decades. He critiqued the PM and CM for failing to create the said employment for 2 crores people and job for every household as per their respective promises. The Congress leader said that youngsters are leaving villages in search of jobs. He said that KCR is working for the sake of contractors and land mafia.
Rahul said in the CM’s own constituency 100 farmers committed suicide. He held that the state was not formed to become a farmers’ graveyard. The congress vice president said that rupees 70,000 crore was disbursed as part of loan waiver scheme during the Congress regime in a single phase. He critiqued the loan-waiver scheme of TRS and questioned, “why are the patta books and women’s jewellery still in the banks if loan waiver is done? What kind of loan waiver is this if banks are not giving new loans to farmers?” He said that the state’s dreams cannot be realised in three years but grilled if the state is going in the right path to realise the dreams? Rahul questioned the gathering if the future of the state should rest in the hands of four people.
Responding to the allegations, Telangana Minister Municipal Administration and Urban Development K T Rama Rao tweeted “Some so called ‘national leaders’ of ‘national’ parties who can’t even win an election in their own backyard, make tall claims elsewhere”. He said that Congress leadership talking of ‘family rule’ is joke of the millennium. Later terming congress as Scamgress, the Minister of Information Technology said that congress leaders talking about corruption is even bigger joke. He criticised that the scripted speeches lack facts and clarified that there are already 5 mobile companies manufacturing from Telangana. KTR said that while congress gave 70000 crore rupees for entire country, the TRS government waived of rupees 17,000 crores of farm loans in just one state.
At a time when Rayalaseema is resenting that the region is being ignored and the chief minister has become the CM of CRDA, state government is drawing more water from Srisailam dam to Nagarjuna Sagar, while region cries for drinking water.
The decision to acquire fertile lands to set up industrial hub has already fomented trouble in Orvakal and Jupadu Bangalow mandals. Now, water is also becoming combustible at the other end of the district.
Farmers of Kurnool district today laid siege to KC canal and Telugu Ganga offices in Nadyal town protesting the release of water from Srisailam dam to Nagarjuna Sagar to help coastal farmers at the cost farmers of Rayalaeema. They complain that the water was being released even though it fell to dead storage level and needs of the district were ignored.
About 300 farmers, raising slogans against the state government’s apathy towards Rayalaseema, in providing drinking water, entered the office premises and locked the doors from outside.
Stating that the refusal of the government to release Srisailam water to the region for drinking purpose is part of the continued ill-treatment to the region, Bojja Dasaradharami Reddy said, the CM had no concern towards people of backward region.
Talking to telugu360.com over phone from the dharna venue, KC Canal and Telugu Ganga office, Dasaradharami Reddy, leader All India Federation of Farmers’ Associations, said the water level in the reservoir had fallen to dead storage and still water was allowed to flown into Nagarjuna Sagar.
“When the villages in Kurnool district are crying for drinking water, instead of coming to the rescue of region’s people, government is taking water to coastal districts through Sagar. What sort of government is this? ” Reddy asked.
The demands of Kurnool farmers are:
1. Instead of using the available 132 TMC water in Nagarjuna Sagar ,state government is resorting to draw more water from Srisailam to Sagar. It should be stopped immediately.
2. In order to meet the drinking water demands of Rayalaseema, the water level of Srisailam dam should be restored to 854 ft.
3. Keeping in view the acute drinking water scarcity in Rayalaseema, the Krishna Water Boards should take a favorable decision immediately.
They vowed that the farmers of Rayalaseema would intensify their agitation in case water is not released for drinking purpose.
APCC president Raghuvira Reddy was attacked allegedly by TDP supporters in Kona Village near Bandar, Krishna district when he went there to meet the farmers to express his solidarity to their fight, on Sunday.
The farmers of Kona villages are opposing the proposal to acquire their lands for the proposed Bandar port and industrial corridor by the government. For the past one week, the farmers in the area have been on war path with the government.
on Sunday morning Raghuvira arrived in the village to meet the farmers and express Congress support to their fight against acquisition of land against their will. He indeed did meet some farmers and supported their cause. Meanwhile, some youth and farmers owing allegiance to Telugu Desam Party descended there raising anti-Raghuvira and anti-Congress slogans. They surrounded the APCC president tried to argue with him about his role there. Then some youth pelted sand and a brick at him.Police entered the scene and dispersed the mob using mild lathi-force. They also escorted Reddy to his car and asked him to leave the place as his presence likely to add up to the prevailing tension.
The farmers and fishermen last week held rasta roko and staged dharna on the national highway No 214 opposing the acquisition of about 30,000 acres of land.
State government wants to develop Machilipatnam port into a deep water port connected to new capital Amaravati. If the industrial corridor springs up in the area, it would almost bring the port nearer to Amaravati. Revenue official have started land-acquisition process as part of the development of port and industrial corridor.
The villagers of these villages are hopeful that these lands would become expensive assets once the capital is developed in Amaravati area. But, as the port is going to shatter their dreams, farmers of six villages- Manginapudi, Tapasipudi, Gopuvanipalem, Mekavarithota, Chinkaragraharam and Pedakaragraharam- are opposing to part with their lands.
In the next few days Vijayawada, the temporary seat of government of Chandrababu Naidu, is all set to be encircled by intense political storm.
While Janasena president and movie star Pawan is going make a whirlwind tour of river front villages, YSR Congress has announced its program of agitation against the invocation land acquisition act to acquire the multi-crop lands in Amaravati capital region.
Pawan is said to have cancelled his movie shooting to visit these villages. His proposed visit has already unsettled the ruling Telugu Desam party. As per some sources in TDP, a meeting is likely between chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan. A team of ministers are planning to meet Pawan to make him understand good intention of government in acquiring the lands for world-class capital.
Any climb down by Pawan after these meetings would erode his image as a power star among the people Andhra Pradesh. Sitting unseen Pawan has raised temperature in the region by tweeting support to the people and urging the government to spare these ‘green-mines’ on the banks of River Krishna. Pawan opposed desctruction of the multi-crop lands in the name of capital construction.
For the past three four days farmers have been organizing dharnas in front of capital region development authority (CRDA) office. Today YSR Congress organized protest in front of CRDA office in Tullur. The party announced their program and it would culminate in party president Jagan’s diksha near the CRDA office in Vijayawada on August 26.
Before that the party would organize Rastha rokho on Prakasam barrage on August 23, and on 24 , YSRC leaders stage a protest dharna near CRDA office, Nidamarru followed by a public meeting. And on August 25, the party is going to organize a bandh in support to agitating farmers in Nidamarru, Betapudi, Penumaka and Tadepalli mandals.
As all opposition parties have undeclared solidarity among themselves versus TDP government all other parties are expected joint the programs and make it a success.
