The Congress party which has been trying to highlight farmers’ suicides in Telangana with the visit of party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, failed to include Gajwel constituency in his itinerary.
The constituency is being represented by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Though Mr. Gandhi will be stopping for a short while in Toopran of the constituency, the focus is not on the segment.
During their recent visits, CPI State secretary Chada Venkata Reddy and CPI (M) leader Tammineni Veerabhadram pointed out at the highest number of suicides took place in the constituency being represented by the Chief Minister and alleged that the government had failed to console their families.
Congress blamed
According to Telangana Rythu Rakshana Samithi (TRRS) president Pakala Srihari Rao, 95 suicides were committed by famers during the last six months of 2014 after Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) came to power in June.
“In the last five months, the number of suicides committed by famers is more than 30. I do not understand why the Congress leaders are failing to highlight the plight of farmers in the native district of the Chief Minister,” opined Mr. Srihari Rao.
Lack of leadership by the Congress at constituency-level is stated to be one of the reasons for the party skipping the constituency.
T. Narsa Reddy, former MLA of the Congress from Gajwel constituency, has resigned and joined the TRS.
He was also successful in taking many leaders from mandal-level and to the extent that the Chairman post of the Zilla Parishad fell in the kitty of ruling party because of Mr. Narsa Reddy.
Since then, the party had failed to find a proper leader who can take on the TRS and the Chief Minister.
“Taking on Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao is not a small thing for any political party, and Congress had miserably failed in this aspect.
Farmers committed suicide even in the neighbouring villages, even at Yerravalli, where Mr. Rao’s farm house is located and no one from the ruling party visited them. Had Gajwel been included, it might have highlighted the plight of farmers in the constituency being represented by the Chief Minister,” opined Vanteru Pratap Reddy, who unsuccessfully contested against Mr. Rao in the last general elections.
However, District Congress Committee (DCC) president and former Minister V Sunitha Laksmha Reddy, while admitting that there were more number of farmer suicides in Gajwel, states that they want to avoid any political controversy.
“Our aim is to create confidence among farmers than focusing on Chief Minister’s constituency. Nirmal was selected as it has more number of SC/ST tenant farmers who committed suicide,” Ms Sunitha told The Hindu .
