Hyderabad: As expected, leaders of the Congress, the TD and people’s organisations on Thursday made a beeline to the house of Telangana Joint Action Committee chairman M. Kodandaram, where he launched a protest fast against the arrest of several TJAC activists across the state.
These activists were proceeding to Hyderabad to participate in a dharna by displaced farmers, which the police did not allow citing sec-urity due to the ongoing Assembly session.
The leaders including TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly K. Jana Reddy, leader of TD Legislature Party A. Revanth Reddy and other legislators, who boycotted the session on Thursday, rushed to Mr Kodandaram’s house in Tarnaka and vowed to fight against the controversial land acquisition Bill, including challenging it in court.
Surrounded by Oppos-ition leaders, Mr Kodan-daram said that the TJAC would fight till the end against the controversial Bill and demanded that the government withdraw it as it removed some protections given by the 2013 Central Act.
He said that in the name of public interest and taking up developmental projects, the government was forci-bly acquiring more land from farmers than requ-ired. He vowed to fight against “anti-people and anti-farmer measures” taken up by the government, if needed by moving courts.
Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy, Mr Jana Reddy and Mr Revanth Reddy criticised the attempts of the government to “terrorise farmers” in the name of the new law to grab their lands. They said they would extend full support to the TJAC in its fight against the government. They said the TRS government which had come to power after a democratic struggle by various organisations including the TJAC was now resorting to intimidation and creating terror among people by imposing rest-rictions and regulations on the movements of TJAC activists including arresting them.
In the evening, Mr Kodandaram called off his fast after being persuaded by Chukka Ramaiah and the TJAC steering committee.
