HYDERABAD: The Congress on Tuesday charged the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government of snatching away the assigned lands from the poor farmers in Telangana which were distributed by the previous Congress governments.
Lakhs of acres of land were distributed to the poor during the time of former prime mInister Indira Gandhi and PV Narasimha Rao with the objective of providing the poor a source of income.
While distributing these lands, the government of India had included a clause in the rules that agriculture can be done on these assigned lands but it cannot be sold by the beneficiaries.
"After the formation of Telangana state, the ruling TRS has thrown this clause to the winds," alleged All India Kisan Congress vice president M Kodanda Reddy.
There are allegations that the leaders and elected representatives belonging to the ruling TRS are compelling the beneficiaries to transfer these lands in their names for a pittance.
On the other hand, the TRS government is snatching away the assigned lands on the pretext of taking up projects without adequately compensating the beneficiaries of assigned lands and also allegedly selling these lands to the private sector by putting it to auction through Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).
"We demand an inquiry into the role of TRS leaders in forcing the beneficiaries to transfer their lands in the name of ruling party members," said Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president Mahesh Kumar Goud.
Both Kodanda Reddy along with Mahesh Goud and Kisan Congress state president Anvesh Reddy sought to assure the farmers that the Congress will stand by them and also visit the lands snatched away by the ruling party leaders and the government.
"Once the Congress is voted to power, it will abolish the Dharani portal brought by the TRS government and do justice to the farmers and other beneficiaries of the assigned lands," said Mahesh Goud.
The Congress members also alleged that the TRS leaders and those close to the powers that be purchased hundreds of acres of land within the limits of G O 111 and as per plan the state government withdrew the GO later.
