Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has asked Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao not to take ‘unilateral decisions’ on his new proposal of regulated farming and consult the stakeholders, including farmers’ associations and political parties.
“Such a crucial policy decision cannot be taken sitting in Pragathi Bhavan or his farm house and threatening farmers with denial of Rythu Bandhu will not be accepted,” he said while speaking at a press conference here along with Manthani MLA D. Sridhar Babu. “Neither the CM nor ministers or even officials are available for farmers to represent their views,” he said.
The CLP leader said that the farming pattern depends on a lot of factors, including weather, finances, local needs and farmers’ choices. “How can they be forced to cultivate what the government wants,” he asked and said that this ‘autocratic’ rule should not be encouraged and government decisions have to be democratic.
In a sarcastic tone, Mr. Vikramarka said that no one in Telangana knows where the Secretariat was and when the ministers and officials were available to listen to people’s issues. “Everything in the State can’t be decided at Pragathi Bhavan with the CM deciding and officials ‘blindly following’,” he said.
He added that the Congress is calling for a ‘Chalo Secretariat’ on June 11, where party MLAs will meet ministers and officials. “We will be going to Pragathi Bhavan as that is the only place where ministers and officials are seen, and unfortunately they are out of the reach of people,” he said.
Power bills inflated
The CLP leader accused the government of fleecing people with inflated power bills. “During the three months of lockdown, people lost employment and now the government wants to fleece them with high power bills,” he said.
“He demanded that electricity and water bills of the last three months should be borne by the government or else what is the government for when it can’t help people in such distress,” he asked.
He also alleged that the government utterly failed in dealing with COVID-19 affected patients and the death of journalist Manoj was a reflection of the conditions in the State.