Police placed Rayalaseema Pariraskhana Samithi president Byreddy Rajasekhara Reddy under house arrest and foiled his bid to stage a 20-km “Rythu Bathuku Theruvu” padayatra from Pudicherla in Orvakal mandal to Kurnool on Monday resenting the Government’s bid to take over fertile lands of farmers for handing over to industrialists.
Kurnool IV Town circle inspector M.P. Ranganayakulu, three sub-inspectors and a posse of policemen swooped on Mr. Rajasekhara Reddy’s residence at Kallur in Kurnool town and placed him under house arrest as he was preparing to proceed to Pudicherla.
Terming his house arrest as an undemocratic action, Mr. Reddy and his followers launched hunger strike in the foreyard of his house. Speaking to mediapersons, he alleged that the police made preventive arrest of hundreds of farmers in the villages in Orvakal and Jupadu Bungalow mandals and also stopped vehicles heading for Pudicherla and took the occupants into custody.
Mr. Rajasekhara Reddy demanded enactment of a legislation stipulating employment of local persons in industries set up across the State. He demanded that the State Government issue a white paper on the land acquisition done so far in the State. The Government was forcibly taking over thousands of acres of fertile lands of farmers who possessed pattas and D Forms for past four decades for handing over to industrialists by promising jobs to the displaced families, the RPS president asserted.
Terming the promise to employ local persons as dubious, he maintained that farmers who parted with their lands for Jindal cement factory at Chinthalamadugu in Gadivemula mandal in the past, lost livelihood and none of their family members were provided employment. The Jindal, L & T and other factories employed persons of Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, but ignored the promises given to employ local people, he said.
Mr. Rajasekhara Reddy accused the Government of acquiring vast stretches of fertile land contravening the Land Acquisition Act. Such acquisition across the State was leading to fall in fertile lands under cultivation and caused steep rise of prices of essential commodities, he said. The RPS leader asked if he had right to democratically stage a peaceful protest. The Government would pay a heavy price for arresting large number of farmers, he warned.
