AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi assured the people of Andhra Pradesh that he would go to any place to fight for the implementation of Polavaram project and to achieve the special category status to the state of Andhra Pradesh.
Addressing a rally in Obuladevaracheruvu village in Anantapuramu district on Friday he said he would not back out from these demands like TDP and BJP.
Recalling that BJP had assured to bestow special status on AP, he said now both TDP and YSRC leaders had conveniently compromised with Modi government. Rahul said to reach the top rank among the Indian states AP needs special category status.
He said Congress would stand by the farmers and weavers of the state and fight for the improvement of their lives.
” My grandmother Indiramma had a special bond with Andhra Pradesh people. She visited this village when I was a child. I am proud to say that I too have an equally strong bond with the people of Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
Rahul who arrived in the village this morning from Bengaluru to console the families of farmers and weavers whose committed suicide because of growing indebtedness during the one year rule of TDP.
He accused PM Modi of trying to rob the lands of formers to give away them to corporate companies.
“ The UPA government had brought about the land acquisition bill in such a manner that no government can take away their lands on the pretext of SEZs or some other purposes. Now, Modi government is planning to dilute statue. We won’t allow,” he declared.
Rahul gave away ex-gratia on behalf of Congress party to 45 families.
He visited the place and planted a sapling where his grand mother Indira Gandhi addressed the public meeting in 1979.
Rahul, after interacting with farmers launched his 30 km-long Padayatra from Obuladevaracheruvu to Mamillakunta village to meet other families of farmers and weavers.
Earlier,former union minister and Congress leader K Chiranjeevi rapped Telugu Desam government for cheating farmers in the form of loan-waiver. He said suicides among the farmers were on the rise in state. In the past one year, Chiranjeevi said, state reported an increase of 35 per cent in suicides. This data was official and compiled by national crime records bureau, he added.
He lambasted the TDP chief minister Naidu for cheating poor farmers after getting votes on the promise of loan waiver.
He said a farmer present in the meeting told him that for a loan of about Rs 4000 he got only Rs 110 waiver.
“Just like Sonia visited the area before 2004 to console the families of farmers who committed suicide as a result of 9-year TDP rule, Rahul was here to again console and reassure the victims of present TDP rule. He said as in 2004, in 2019 as well, history would be repeated and Congress would come to power,” Chiranjeevi said.
PCC president N Raghuvira Reddy translated Rahul’s speech in to Telugu.
All senior leaders from the state including C Ramanchandraiah, KVP Ramachandra Rao, T Subbiramireddy etc participated in Padayatra.
