Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Congress Legislature Party Leader launched his padayatra on March 16, as part of the Haath Se Haath Jodo Abhiyan from Pipri in Bajarhathnoor, Boath Assembly Constituency. It is a 1,365 walkathon covering 39 assembly constituencies in 91 days. Bhatti Vikramarka has been interacting with people not just on his walk but also through one-to-one meetings, public meetings and press conferences. He has brought to the fore many issues that plague the common man.
At the press meet at Kondurg, Shadnagar Constituency, on Day 59 of his padayatra, Vikramarka thundered that it was time to launch another movement by the people of Telangana to protect ‘our lands and water’. Continuing in the same vein, he said that some retired bureaucrats are conniving with BRS leaders to usurp lands allotted to the poor by previous state governments.
He demanded that the BRS government release a white paper on how many thousands of acres of land given to the poor by the previous governments were taken back by it as well as the details of those to whom these lands were sanctioned.
Somesh Kumar was reluctant to work in AP: Bhatti Vikramarka
He sought to know why Somesh Kumar who had opted for voluntary retirement from service citing health reasons was now ready to serve as Chief Advisor to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. The fact that Somesh Kumar was reluctant to work in Andhra Pradesh but was eager to work in Telangana gives rise to suspicions, he alleged.
The lands of the Telangana poor have been usurped by the State within a few days of Somesh Kumar assuming charge as the Chief Secretary according to Bhatti Vikramarka. He alleged that Somesh Kumar was responsible for introducing the Dharani scheme by which details of Jagirdar lands, assigned lands and other categories were collected. He further said that while Somesh Kumar facilitated taking back lands surrounding Hyderabad from the poor, the BRS Working President and Minister K T Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, gave these lands away to MNCs.
He criticized retired officials who were clinging to their posts while lakhs of unemployed youth were waiting for the government to fill vacant posts. Retired officials should step down with dignity to enable others still in service to get promotions, he said.
The CLP leader further said that Somesh Kumar and Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar facilitated the handing over of the maintenance and collection of toll of the Outer Ring Road for another 30 years to a private agency at throwaway price to benefit the BRS government.
Raising the issue of inordinate delay in calculating Telangana’s share in the Krishna River waters even after 10 years of Telangana’s formation, Bhatti Vikramarka said the BRS government seems to be in deep slumber. This government is only interested in re-designing irrigation projects in order to inflate the estimated cost, awarding contracts to big contractors and taking huge commissions after bills are sanctioned.
Bhatti Vikramarka’s next stop was at the Lakshmidevipalli Reservoir site where he held a public meeting. He called upon the people to confront KCR and BRS leaders on their promise to construct Lakshmidevi Palli reservoir; an unfulfilled promise even after nine years.
Congress government implemented projects to benefit Telangana people
Congress government implemented projects to benefit the people of Telangana whereas the KCR government deprived them of Krishna-Godavari waters by taking up unproductive projects like Kaleswaram. Bhatti Vikramarka said that the Congress tsunami that started in Karnataka will soon reach Telangana.
Reminding people that only Congress governments and rulers had taken up projects to benefit people, Bhatti Vikramarka said that it was Congress governments that constructed Jurala, Koyal Sagar, Srisailam, Nettermpadu, Kalwakurthy lift, Nagarjuna Sagar projects and brought fallow lands under cultivation.
Recounting what he had seen during his padayatra from Adilabad, he said that it was the late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy who announced Pranahita-Chevella project and designed the project in such a way as to bring Pranahita waters through gravity to Ranga Reddy district. Dr YSR planned the project solely for the people of Telangana.
He alleged that KCR deliberately killed the Pranahita-Chevella project in the name of re-design and spent lakhs of crores on Kaleswaram but could not provide water even for an acre. Kalewaram is nothing but a glorified check dam. This is the reality irrespective of tall claims made by the KCR government, he said.
Telangana was the only state which was formed after a long struggle but it did not fulfil any of the people’s aspirations for water, funds and jobs. Making matters worse, the BRS government has been taking away lands distributed to the poor by the previous Congress governments. While Congress governments converted the slogans of people into rights, KCR government is riding roughshod over the rights of people.
Promises to bring back people’s governance
The CLP leader confidently said that the Congress tsunami that started with Karnataka would soon come to Telangana in a few months and from here it would go to Chattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi. People’s governance would be brought back by the Congress Party, he asserted.
Youth Congress President Shivasena Reddy said Bhatti’s padayatra reminded one of late YS Rajasheka Reddy ‘s padayatra.
Ranga Reddy DCC President Challa Narasimha Reddy thanked Bhatti Vikramarka for his Padayatra and creating awareness about the deception of the BRS government.
