KTR questions silence of Modi, Rahul Gandhi on Lagacherla

Rama Rao said the Congress government was forcefully acquiring 3,000 acres in Dudyal mandal to establish a Pharma Village, offering Rs.8-10 lakh per acre for land worth Rs.60-70 lakh.

Hyderabad: Taking the fight against the Congress government in Telangana right up to the national capital, BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Monday questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on the atrocities by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and the State police against tribals and farmers in Lagacherla in Kodangal. He warned that Telangana would face turmoil akin to Manipur or Lakshadweep if the situation continued.

“What does it take for Modi and Rahul Gandhi to break their silence? Are they waiting for houses to burn or lives to be lost?” asked Rama Rao, who was accompanied by tribal women from Lagacherla who narrated their ordeal to the media at the Constitution Club in Delhi. They earlier lodged complaints with the National Commissions for SCs, STs, Women and Human Rights in Delhi, seeking urgent intervention.

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Rama Rao said the Congress government was forcefully acquiring 3,000 acres in Dudyal mandal to establish a Pharma Village, offering Rs.8-10 lakh per acre for land worth Rs.60-70 lakh.

“When farmers resisted, they were harassed, beaten and arrested. Over 30 farmers are in custody, while others were silenced through intimidation,” Rama Rao revealed, also singling out Revanth Reddy’s brother, A Tirupati Reddy, accusing him of acting as a de facto CM, wielding unchecked power in Kodangal constituency.

“Though he holds no official position, Tirupati Reddy wields immense power, openly threatening people, while enjoying protocol treatment. Instead of filing cases against him, the police are acting like a private army, assaulting women and detaining children without any accountability,” he said.

Training his guns on Rahul Gandhi, Rama Rao charged him with double standards. “Rahul Gandhi speaks against crony capitalism elsewhere but remains silent when his own party’s Chief Minister exploits tribal lands for a pharma company linked to his own son-in-law. Is this the justice Congress preaches about?” he asked, suggesting that Gandhi visit Lagacherla or at least meet them in Delhi to listen to their problems and address their grievances.

He also criticised the Congress’ handling of land acquisition, dismissing its claims of adhering to UPA’s Land Acquisition Act of 2013. “Rahul Gandhi touts this law as safeguarding the poor, yet his government in Telangana is trampling on the rights of farmers and tribals. Why cannot they offer fair compensation or at least engage in dialogue?” he asked.

The BRS working president did not spare the BJP either. He lashed out at Modi for turning a blind eye to the atrocities in Telangana. “Modi once called Telangana an ATM for the Congress royal family. Why then is the BJP silent now? Does the modesty of tribal women not matter to them?” he asked.

Rama Rao explained how tribal women were molested and farmers were tortured in custody with no legal recourse. He stated that the attack on Lagacherla victims was no less than such incidents in Manipur and Lakshadweep. “The Congress government’s actions have pushed Telangana’s farmers and tribals to the brink,” he said, appealing to the National Human Rights Commission, Women, SC and ST Commissions to intervene.

Rama Rao also categorically stated that the BRS was not against development but was against the State government’s highhandedness against the people. He predicted that more such protests would be witnessed in the proposed Pharma Villages as the government was using brute force rather than convincing the farmers and compensating them appropriately.