T'gana: TRS, Cong, Left parties organise protests as part of 'Bharat Bandh'; BJP slams ruling party

The ruling TRS, Congress and Left parties and the unions affiliated to them on Tuesday held protests at various places in Telangana as part of the 'Bharat Bandh', with the ruling party asserting that it would stand by the farmers for the withdrawal of the three ''black'' (farm) laws. TRS working president and state minister K T Rama Rao participated in a protest at Shadnagar near here, while several other state ministers took part in rallies at different places in the state.

''We will explain to people about the anti-farmer and pro-corporate policies of the Centre and how the interests of farmers are being hurt. I assure you that we will definitely fight till the Centre takes back these three black laws,'' Rama Rao said. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka led a sit-in at Shamirpet in the city, while Congress MP A Revanth Reddy, a working president of Congress in the state, attended a dharna at Shadnagar.

State Congress president and MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the TRS government should convene a special session of Legislative Assembly to pass a unanimous resolution against the three new ''anti-farmer'' laws. The Left parties and their affiliated unions and the Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) took out a rally from Kothi to RTC crossroads in the city.

Raising slogans against the NDA government, they demanded that the farm laws be repealed. Welcoming TRS' support to the 'Bharat Bandh', CPI(M) state secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram demanded that the TRS government pass a resolution in the Assembly that the three farm legislations would not be implemented in the state, a CPI(M) release said.

Slamming the TRS for its support to the Bharat Bandh, BJP MP D Aravind said TRS government had removed 'dharna chowk', a venue for protests in the city, but chose to participate in protests now. The TRS leadership has not given even a single reason as to why it is supporting the 'Bharat Bandh', he claimed.

The TRS government did not purchase agricultural produce on time and did not provideremunerative prices to ''sannalu'' fine variety of rice, among other failures in the agriculture sector, he alleged. State BJP president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar alleged that the bandh was officially organised with the cooperation of officials as per the directives of the TRS leadership.

The bandh was a total failure and people and farmers have resisted the bandh, he said.