Harish Rao slams Revanth Reddy over land acquisition, police action on farmers

BRS leaders Harish Rao and Niranjan Reddy have accused the Congress government of misusing land acquisition laws and police force to suppress farmer protests, particularly in Pedda Dhanwada, demanding the release of 12 farmers arrested during ethanol factory demonstrations

Hyderabad: Former Minister and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, accusing him of systematically betraying Telangana’s farmers by using land acquisition as a tool of oppression and threatening agricultural livelihoods. He condemned the repeated use of police force to suppress farmers’ opposition to land acquisition.

In a statement, Harish Rao alleged that the Congress government is bypassing the 2013 Land Acquisition Act to hand over land to favoured corporates at throwaway prices, often employing police force to stifle resistance. Citing a recent incident in Pedda Dhanwada village of Jogulamba Gadwal district, he condemned the alleged joint assault by police and ethanol factory security personnel on farmers from 12 villages. He questioned the Chief Minister’s silence despite being a native of the Palamuru region, where the incident occurred.

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The BRS MLA pointed out that cases were filed against around 40 farmers and 12 of them were remanded, while no action was taken against the factory management or its security personnel for allegedly assaulting farmers. “Why the silence when bouncers beat our farmers? Is the government protecting industrialists over its own farmers?” he asked.

Harish Rao also listed several other incidents of alleged farmer harassment across Telangana—from Dilawarpur and Lagacherla to Suryapet and Nirmal—criticising the government for filing false cases and deploying police force against protesting farmers.

He demanded the immediate release of the 12 arrested farmers from Pedda Dhanwada, warning that agrarian unrest in Telangana is nearing a tipping point. “The Revanth Reddy government is turning into one that beats farmers and collects commissions from the rich,” he said, vowing that the BRS would stand firmly with the farming community.

Former Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy also condemned the arrests, recalling that when in opposition, the Congress had promised not to establish the ethanol factory in Pedda Dhanwada. “But after coming to power, the Congress has betrayed farmers by initiating land acquisition and using police force to disperse peaceful protests,” he said.