ASIFABAD: TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday called upon Adivasis to fight against the KCR government and officials for snatching their podu lands, like the legendary Kumarambheem who fought the Asaf Jahis to protect their rights on natural resources.
He was speaking at a public meeting as part of the Congress’ Praja Chaithanya Yatra in Kumarambheem Asifabad headquarders. Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy said it was the Congress government which gave tribals pattas for forest lands they were cultivating under the Forest Rights Act but the TRS government was now snatching such lands away as well as podu lands under the guise of the Haritha Haram tree plantation programme.
Mr Reddy said CM Chandrasekhar Rao had no moral right to ask for the votes of tribals when he had failed to implement the 10 per cent reservation for that he had promised before the 2014 elections. Mr Reddy said the Chief Minister had failed to give three acres land to the tribals and had taken Tribal farmers with hand cups to the court.
He said the Congress, on coming to power, would give pattas for the remaining forest lands. Mr Reddy listed a series of welfare schemes for the development of tribals and Dalits and the poor upon coming to power.
