*YSRCP will stand by every Amaravati farmer: Donthireddy Vema Reddy*

Tadepalli, June 8: Mangalagiri YSRCP Coordinator and CRDA Farmers Protection Committee member Donthireddy Vema Reddy asserted that the party would stand firmly with every farmer facing harassment for either giving land to the capital project or refusing to part with their land. Speaking after a meeting of the CRDA Farmers Protection Committee with Amaravati-region farmers at the YSRCP central office in Tadepalli, he said the party would provide legal assistance to all affected farmers and directly visit villages to understand their grievances.

Vema Reddy said several farmers from Undavalli, Penumaka, Errabalem and Nidamarru had recently met former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy seeking help against what they described as government pressure to surrender their lands. He strongly condemned attempts on social media and certain YouTube channels to portray them as non-farmers, challenging anyone to prove that the farmers who met Jagan were not genuine cultivators. "If anyone proves they are not farmers, I am ready to pay Rs.1 lakh," he said, adding that insulting hardworking farmers for political purposes was unacceptable.

He stated that the coalition government was driven by an obsession for land and was playing with the lives of farmers. Even after nearly twelve years since land pooling began, many farmers who surrendered land had not received fully developed plots, while those resisting fresh land acquisition were being subjected to pressure and intimidation. He warned that no government that harasses farmers can survive for long and said YSRCP would continue fighting on behalf of every affected farmer.

Vema Reddy also highlighted the case of a farmer from Thullur mandal who owns 12 acres within the Karakatta area and is allegedly facing intense pressure from officials to surrender his land. He said the farmer, who suffers from a heart ailment, broke down emotionally before the committee, while his wife is battling a serious neurological illness. Despite the family's severe health challenges, officials were continuing to press them over land acquisition, he alleged. He said such cases were increasingly coming to the notice of the Farmers Protection Committee and announced that committee members would soon visit villages across the capital region to meet affected families directly and extend legal and organizational support through the party's legal team.