Jagan to go on fast against ‘persecution’ of ryots

YSR Congress party chief Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy along with party leaders interacting with affected farmers of the new capital region, in Hyderabad on Monday. Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

YSR Congress president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy has decided to sit on a two-day fasting protest at Tanuku in West Godavari on January 31 and February 1, demanding an inquiry by a sitting judge of the High Court into “the state oppression” on farmers in the Andhra Pradesh capital region.

A delegation led by Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy called on Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan here on Monday and submitted him a representation explaining the harassment being meted out to farmers who were not willing to part with their lands in the capital region. They requested the Governor to direct the AP government to order a probe into the issue, YSR Congress leader Dharmana Prasad Rao told reporters later.

The protest would be against the anti-farmer policies of the TDP government, its lopsided approach in land acquisition for capital city, its failure in providing minimum support price and large-scale irregularities in the relief and rehabilitation to Hudhud cyclone-affected people and farmers, Mr. Prasada Rao said.

YSR Congress MLAs from Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam districts also accompanied Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy to the Raj Bhavan.

They narrated the trauma of farmers who were not willing to give their land to the capital city, to the Governor.

Earlier, farmers from Nidamarru, Penumaka, Vundavalli, Tarapalli and other villages in the capital region met Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy at the YSRC office at Lotus Pond. The YSRC chief assured them that nobody could take their lands forcibly and he would standby them firmly by waging a legal battle against snatching of lands.

MLA moves SHRC

“It is unfortunate that the government is using force and coercion to acquire land from farmers while the special act made for the purpose states that land from only the farmers willing to part with it will be taken,” he noted.

Several farmers also narrated the tales of terror faced by them at the hands of police.

Meanwhile, YSRC MLA from Mangalagiri, Alla Ramakrishna Reddy and 22 others filed a complaint with the State Human Right Commission here against the police harassment of farmers.