Hyderabad: The Congress on Thursday launched agitations across the state against the state government’s alleged mishandling of the Dharani portal and subsequent agrarian issues causing concerns among the farming community.
In response to the call given by the TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy, Congress leaders staged dharnas in front of mandal revenue offices and raised slogans against Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and the TRS government.
Demonstrations were held in Mahbubabad, Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Nizamabad, Kamareddy, Nalgonda, Peddapalli and Karimnagar, among other places, highlighting “unresolved issues” — loan waiver, crop insurance, Raithu Bandhu, the issue of podu lands — that were causing hardships to farmers.
The Congress has been questioning the involvement of private companies in handling the Dharani portal, alleging that the practice was putting at jeopardy land ownership and demanding the use of the portal be ended. On Monday, a Congress delegate led by Revanth represented the issue to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar at his office in BRK Bhavan.
The Congress also said it would hold a dharna across the state on November 30 along with the “victims” of the Dharani portal. Further, the party warned of laying siege to district collectorates on December 5 over the issue.
Speaking at the dharna camp in Kamareddy mandal revenue office, TPCC political affairs committee convener Mohammad Ali Shabbir alleged that the TRS government was harassing tribals on the pretext of forest surveys, Haritha Haram programme and over podu lands.
Shabbir Ali said that the Congress was demanding the cancellation of the Dharani portal as it “ruined the lives of thousands of farmers” due to the glitches in working. He also attributed farmer suicides to the portal misfiring.
Discussing the podu land issue in the context of a forest official’s murder, Ali blamed the TRS for causing an issue. He appealed to tribal communities not to get provoked.
Later in the day, Congress leaders submitted a memorandum to MROs on agricultural issues and the Dharani portal. Kamareddy DCC president Kailas Srinivasa Rao and other senior leaders also participated in the dharna.
