HYDERABAD: The principal opposition party Congress, which has been making all-out efforts to improve its electoral fortunes in the state, appears to have found a favourable opportunity in the issue of handcuffing of chilli farmers in Khammam to corner TRS.
The party has urged Governor ESL Narasimhan to direct the Chief Minister to visit agricultural markets to instil confidence among farmers.
TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday led a delegation of party seniors to Governor Narasimhan at Raj Bhavan and urged him to order withdrawal of all criminal proceedings initiated against the farmers.
In the memorandum submitted to Narasimhan, Uttam alleged that the Chief Minister was acting against poor farmers. He also sought all transport restrictions on farmers be lifted and all checkposts and police personnel from inside agricultural markets be removed. He also urged the Governor to ask the government to issue an apology to the farmers who had been harassed.
“When KCR repeatedly boasts of Telangana being a rich state and the present budget outlay being `1.49 lakh crore, why is the government not able to allocate `1,000 crore and buy agricultural products at prices that make agriculture a viable proposition?” Uttam asked.
SHRC seeks report from Khammam SP
Hyderabad: Advocate T Rajnikanth Reddy, who had filed a petition in the the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Friday seeking a thorough probe into the handcuffing of farmers in Khammam, pointed out that the police action was in violation of the Supreme Court guidelines. “The farmers had brought their chilli produce to Khammam market yard with a hope to sell it. However, their hopes were lost due to sudden drop in prices. The distressed farmers had no intention to damage the office equipment,” he submitted to the commission during the hearing on Friday. Rajnikanth, in his petition, stated that the police cannot handcuff a person without court’s permission. Only those who indulged in serious criminal offence can be handcuffed, he noted. SHRC directed Khammam SP to submit a detailed report over the incident wherein farmers were brought handcuffed to the local court on Thursday.