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KCR should apologise to Khammam farmers implicated in false cases: Uttam Kumar Reddy

Uttam Kumar Reddy said KCR should apologise to chilly farmers arrested in 2017, before holding public meeting in Khammam.

ByRaj Rayasam

Published Jan 17, 2023 | 7:17 PM ⚊UpdatedJan 17, 2023 | 7:17 PM

Uttam Kumar Reddy (right) with Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar. (uttamkumarreddy/Facebook)

Congress MP and former Telangana Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday, 17 January, demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao tender an unconditional apology to the chilli farmers of Khammam who were implicated in false cases by his government in April 2017 for seeking remunerative prices for their produce, before addressing a public meeting in the town.

“When some poor ST (Scheduled Tribe) farmers held a protest in the Khammam Mirchi Yard over not getting remunerative prices, the BRS government got them arrested and implicated them in false cases. Grievous charges, including Section 307 (attempt to murder), were pressed against 10 farmers,” said Uttam Kumar Reddy.

“They were sent to jail and when the 10 farmers were brought from the sub-jail to the district court, they were chained and handcuffed. This was done to send a message to all farmers across Telangana that they would be treated in the same way if they oppose KCR’s government,” he added in a media statement on Tuesday, a day ahead of KCR’s “grand” public meeting in Khammam.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that KCR, before beginning his speech, should tender an unconditional apology to the farmers and also announce the withdrawal of cases booked against them in April 2017.

Similarly, he said all the cases booked against farmers for holding a protest on various issues across Telangana since 2014 should be withdrawn.

‘KCR is not pro-farmer’

The Congress MP said that the BRS meeting in Khammam was aimed at highlighting KCR as a “pro-farmer” chief minister, which he is not.

“The BRS government did not fulfil the promise of waiving crop loans of up to ₹1 lakh. Consequently, a majority of farmers are being denied fresh crop loans by bankers. Telangana’s farmers do not have any crop insurance and none of them ever got a single rupee compensation either from the BJP government at the Centre or the BRS government in Telangana when they lost their crops due to natural calamities in the last eight years,” said Reddy

“More than 8,000 farmers have committed suicide since 2014 and not even 80 of them got compensation of ₹6 lakh under the Telangana Government Order (GO) 421. The ‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme is just hype as ₹5,000 per acre support does not help any farmer. Therefore, KCR should be ashamed of calling himself ‘pro-farmer’,” he contended.

ఎన్నికలప్పుడు హామీలిచ్చుడు..గెలవంగనే మాటతప్పి మోసం చేయడం కేసీఆర్కి అలవాటేనని మళ్ళోసారి నిరూపించిండు. @TelanganaCMO

2017లో ఇచ్చిన హామీలనే నెరవేర్చాలని వీఆర్‌ఏలు 80రోజులు సమ్మె చేస్తే, మునుగోడు ఎన్నిక తర్వాత చేస్తా అని మళ్ళీ ధోకా ఇచ్చిండు.

ఈ జూఠా ముఠాను ఇప్పటికైనా పాతరేద్దాం. pic.twitter.com/Ay0Wf7gtVm

— Telangana Congress (@INCTelangana) January 17, 2023

Related: Why Khammam is an ideal location for KCR’s anti-BJP blockbuster

‘AAP, BRS are B-Teams of BJP’

Commenting on the participation of chief ministers of Delhi and Punjab in the BRS meeting, he said there was no difference between AAP and BRS as both are B-Teams of the BJP and their only goal is to strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi by weakening the Congress party.

“They are trying to join hands only to deceive the common people, especially the farmers,” he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy accused the BRS government of misusing official machinery for its party meeting and spending taxpayers’ money for political purposes.

Reddy said the entire cost, including the cost of transportation of people and security, should be borne by the BRS and not be charged to the public exchequer.

“Expenditure on the construction of helipads, hiring of additional vehicles, and costs should be borne by the BRS party,” he said.

The former Telangana Congress president said that the party would be monitoring all the expenses and it would submit a detailed report to the Governor seeking the recovery of the entire amount from the BRS. If required, the Congress party will also approach the court for recovery of public money, he said.