Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Raghuveera Reddy is working hard to extricate the lost glory of the grand-old-party in the state. In recent past, he has been organizing many protests and public meetings exposing the government’s omissions and commission. However, on Monday he faced the wrath of TDP supporters in Kuppam, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu’s home constituency, in Chittoor district.
TDP workers raised slogans against the Congress, ” The Congress, which did nothing to Kuppam in their 10-year rule is now stalling the development process initiated by TDP government,” they said demanding the delegation to go back.
Raghuveera went to Kuppam to meet the rebellious farmers who are reluctant to give up their lands to the proposed cargo airport in the area. Raghuvira with a team of Congress leaders arrived in Kuppam town and set off to villages where the government started survey of the lands for proposed to acquire for the airport. En route, the Congress leaders were way laid by the local TDP leaders, who sat on the road blocking the way. A war of words ensued and followed by pushing and shoving by TDP workers and follower of Dr Suresh, a local Congress leader, according to Goutham Jagan, APCC spokesperson. AT the spot, Laxmipuram village, in Kuppam, TDP workers hurled eggs, stones and chappals on Raghuveera’s convoy. Local DSP intervened and escorted the Congress team out to Kadiriobanapalli village, the venue of a public meeting. At Obanapalli, Raghuvira interacted with the farmers who said that government was planning to take away their land against their will.
“We were given these barren lands thirty years back. We struggled a lot to make them arable. Now these lands have become our livelihood. Suddenly, the government wants to take back these lands. Can any compensation make up for the sweat and blood we put into these lands? We don’t want to leave these lands,’ the farmers told the Congress delegation. Raghivira addressed a public meeting in which about 1500 people from 20 nearby villages gathered.
Assuring them full solidarity, the APCC president told them that the Congress party would stand by them. ” As per the existing land acquisition Act, acquiring the land without farmers’ consent is illegal. First the government has to conduct a social impact survey and asses the damage the project may cause to the livelihoods. Without doing it, the government started survey of lands. We oppose this,” Reddy told the farmers.
