They were the heroes of the agitation waged by residents of Vemulaghat and neighbouring villages for more than two years against the Mallannasagar project, but on Monday tasted defeat at the hands of their own people.
The villagers were demanding implementation of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act-2013 (LA Act-2013) as their villages were getting submerged under the Mallannasagar project. On July 24, 2016, a large number of farmers marched towards Rajiv Rahadari to hold a protest rally. The police intervened and the protesters were beaten black and blue. Y. Srinivas Reddy of Vemulaghat was one of the protesters beaten up by the police. The police even filed several cases against him. Since then, he had been in the forefront of the agitation. The villagers, ultimately, had to surrender their land to the government.
In January, 2019, two-and-a-half years after that incident, Srinivas Reddy filed nomination for the post of sarpanch of Vemulaghat and was defeated by a margin of 116 votes when results were announced on Monday.
Similar was the fate of S. Ashok of Etigaddakishtapur who has been fighting for compensation under the LA Act-2013, along with some others Ashok who stood for gram panchayat election lost it by a huge margin. .
“Money and liquor played a key role in the outcome of the election. While I promised to fight for justice to the land oustees, others offered instant benefits, which attracted the voters. I am thoroughly disappointed with what people gifted us for the fight we waged,” commented Mr. Ashok.
