KTR slams Telangana CM Revanth Reddy over land grabs, Pharma Village protests
Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) raised serious concerns over the actions of A Tirupathi Reddy, the elder brother of Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy. He questioned how Tirupathi Reddy, who holds no constitutional position, entered Lagcherla and its surrounding villages with a contingent of around 250 policemen.
“Who is he (Tirupathi Reddy) to threaten the people and get away with it?” KTR asked while addressing the media in Hyderabad on Monday, November 18.
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Why is Rahul silent, asks KTRThe former IT minister also pointed out the silence of the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the issue of Pharma Village which will come up in Kodangal, the assembly constituency of CM Revanth.
“Rahul Gandhi often talks about protecting the welfare of farmers, tribals, and women. Yet, his own party’s chief minister Revanth Reddy presides over atrocities in Telangana. Are the cries of tribal women and farmers in Kodangal inaudible to Rahul Gandhi?” KTR asked.
He called out Congress’s duplicity, emphasizing how the same party that claims to oppose crony capitalism is now grabbing tribal lands to facilitate private projects. “Rahul Gandhi criticizes crony capitalism but is silent on Revanth Reddy’s pharma land-grabbing. This is Congress’s double standard,” he said.
Farmers in Kodangal have been protesting against the setting up of Pharma Village for nine months, KTR alleged. “The Pharma Village in Lagcherla is not the only pharma cluster being established in the state. There are 20 pharma villages ready to be established across Telangana. In all these regions, protests are taking place,” he remarked.
He said the state government had successfully acquired 632 acres of land out of the 1,373 acres required for the Pharma Village project in Lagcherla, which involves taking land from around 500 farmers.
The Sircilla MLA mentioned Nyalkal mandal in Sangareddy district where strong opposition to land acquisition for the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) is going on. The Dalit women affected by the land acquisition had to approach the courts to seek justice against the proposed project.
It should be noted that in the past, both the BRS government and the Centre tried to push the project but were met with stiff resistance from the locals.
The BRS working president highlighted CM Revanth’s hypocrisy of making a complete U-turn regarding the establishment of pharma companies. “For ten years, the chief minister was seriously against the establishment of the Pharma companies. Now he takes a complete U-turn and promotes these companies,” KTR said.
Clarifying that BRS was not against the establishment of the industries, he questioned the nature in which the land was acquired.
KTR directed BRS MP Suresh Reddy to raise the issue in the Parliament in the upcoming Winter Session.
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