Rahul Gandhi was just another name for the poor families of farmers from Laxmanchanda and Mamda mandals in Adilabad district who had committed suicide owing to unpayable debts. Only a few days back did they know that he is some kind of a very important person, evident from the body language of the Congress leaders who are coming to their village as part of preparation for the All-India Congress Committee vice-president’s Sandeah Yatra slated for May 12.
His stature has raised hopes among the grieving families that Mr. Gandhi is coming to help them. “Ayya vastunnadu ani cheppindru,” observed Narsavva, mother of Soodi Lasmanna of Laxmanchanda who had committed suicide a few months back.
“I hope he does something for our girl,” adds Posani, Lasmanna’s widow. She is more worried about the future of her only child as she neither owns anything nor has a livelihood. Paspula Godavari, widow of Laxman from Vadial village also expects “Indira Gandhi's grandson”, the way she recognises Mr. Gandhi, to do something about her current state. Of the five farmers who committed suicide in the villages to be visited by the AICC vice-president, four were tenant farmers.
They all had lost their paddy and maize crops during successive years which was the main reason for their taking the extreme step. The other families whom Mr. Gandhi will console during his padaytra are the widows of Shatam Gangadhar of Rachapur, Bonla Linganna of Laxmanchanda and of Velma Rajeshwar of Kortikal in Mamda mandal. Except in the case of Rajeshwar, the government has not recognised their personal tragedies to fall under the category of farmer suicide.
To address meetings
Nizamabad Staff Reporter adds: AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi is expected to stop by at a couple of villages in Nizamabad rural, Armoor and Balkonda Assembly constituencies apart from Kamareddy town during his tour in north Telangana districts to interact with farmers who suffered crop loss due to untimely rains and gales, on May 12.
Telangana PCC headed by N. Uthamakumar Reddy, at its meeting at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Thursday, took the decision to request Mr. Rahul Gandhi to address a public meeting at Kamareddy and also wanted to decide the villages where he would need to stop by at Friday’s meeting.
