TDP cheating farmers on capital

Hyderabad, Nov 8: The capital imbroglio has been created by the State government as it is trying to seize fertile lands against the will of the farmers to benefit a section of TDP leaders who have purchased large land holdings in the peripheries and are awaiting real estate boom, YSR Congress has said.

“TDP has been propagating that certain parties are against the state capital and wanted to building it in a forest but creating a capital between Krishna and Guntur districts will benefit the farmers of Tallaru and other places will benefit them immensely is falsehood as the small land holders are afraid and have many fears of losing their livelihood,” party spokesperson Ambati Rambabu told reporters here on Saturday. 

We are not against the capital coming up anywhere, but we are against the fertile agriculture land being used for the purpose and demand that the state should publish a white paper on the land purchases made in the peripheries of the proposed capital after TDP has come to power. We are against the unilateral decision of the Government on the capital, without a proper debate and we are against the land-pooling of depriving farmers of their fertile land.

“There are reports that TDP MPs, MLAs and other entrepreneurs close to the leadership have purchased large extent of land and have ensured that it does not come into the frame of capital city while gullible farmers of 17 villages are now being forced to sell their productive land.

It was clearly said in the State Reorganisation Bill that barren land should be acquired for the capital city and if need be forest land should be de-notified, but TDP government has been deceiving farmers as it has done with loan waiver and they have many doubts and fears which should be allayed before taking up the capital building exercise,” he said.

Farmers of the 17 villages are in a confused state as they have swallowed the bitter pill on the promise of loan waiver and are not prepared to believe N Chandrababu Naidu telling that they will be compensated adequately.

We will be with the farmers to safeguard their interests and if majority of the people are not willing, the State cannot go for land pooling. Chandrababu Naidu who was the first person to raise his voice and demand around 5 lakh cores for building the new capital has become silent now.

Being a coalition partner he should use his good offices to get funds from the Centre to instill confidence among the farmers instead blaming the Opposition for instigating the farmers. The locals have lost confidence in him after the loan waiver and his old tune of development of IT sector has no buyers now, he said adding that villagers have passed resolutions in gramsabhas against the acquisition.