BRS backs Jurala farmers, threatens statewide agitation over cases

The BRS demanded immediate withdrawal of cases against farmers who allegedly opened Jurala project gates to release water for drying crops. Party leaders accused the government of failing to address irrigation shortages and warned of a statewide farmers' agitation

Hyderabad: The BRS has demanded that the government immediately withdraw cases registered against farmers who allegedly opened the Jurala project gates to release water for their drying crops. The party warned of launching a statewide farmers’ agitation if the government continued its alleged anti-farmer actions and failed to withdraw the cases.

Condemning the cases, BRS legislature party deputy leader T Harish Rao said on Thursday that farmers were being booked instead of their demand for irrigation water being addressed. He alleged that the Congress government had failed to lift available Krishna River water and was now using police cases to suppress farmers’ protests.

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He said farmers across Telangana were protesting over shortages of irrigation water and power. He demanded that the government resolve their problems rather than resort to police action.

“Registering cases against farmers based on the complaints from the irrigation officials is a new low. Is this people’s government or people’s harassment?” he asked, questioning the rationale behind booking farmers when crops were drying for want of water and power.

Former Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy also condemned the cases, stating that 14 farmers were booked after the Irrigation Department’s executive engineer lodged a complaint on September 20 over the opening of the Jurala project gates. He demanded that the cases be withdrawn immediately.

He took a dig at the delegation of Ministers and Congress MLAs who recently visited Karnataka to seek water amid much publicity. He sought to know what the government had achieved as no water had been released so far.

He alleged that the government was registering cases against farmers to cover up its failure to secure water.