BRS faults govt. for preferring debate on tourism policy over Lagcherla farmers’ issue

Party alleges that the govt. postponed some questions listed by BRS on Monday to avoid answers

HYDERABAD

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has criticised the government for taking up short discussion on the new tourism policy, though it did not go beyond the Minister’s statement, neglecting the more important Lagcherla farmers’ issue without even finalising the business for the session in the Business Advisory Committee meeting.

Speaking at the media point on the premises of the Assembly on Monday, BRS MLAs Padi Kaushik Reddy and K. Sanjay said discussion on the illegal arrest of Lagcherla farmers was more important than the tourism policy and sought what sin the farmers had committed so that they were kept in jail for more than a month now.

By taking a farmer Hirya Naik to hospital by handcuffing him after complaints of chest pain (heart attack) the State government had insulted the entire farming community. Instead of tourism, a discussion on the Lagcherla farmers and the land acquisition there was more timely as the lands were being acquired to benefit Gautam Adani, son-in-law and brothers of the Chief Minister, they alleged.

They also ridiculed the repeated claims of the government on the liabilities of the State government stating that a recent report of the Reserve Bank of India, Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2023-24 had put the total debt at ₹3.17 lakh crore against the claims of the Deputy Chief Minister M. Bhatti Vikramarka that it was over ₹7 lakh crore. The party would move a privilege motion against Mr. Vikramarka for misleading the House in the matter, they said.

In the Council, BRS members S. Madhusudana Chary, S. Vani Devi and others also raised the issue of Lagcherla farmers. Speaking later, they said they would raise the issue on Tuesday too.

Party MLAs G. Jagadish Reddy, K.P. Vivekanand and K. Sanjay observed that the government was apprehensive about discussing people’s issues in the Assembly even a year after being in power. The government had intentionally postponed a question raised by the party on belt shops as their number had increased indiscriminately across the State after the Congress assumed power.

Later, MLAs P. Sabitha Indra Reddy and Kova Laxmi too alleged that the government had intentionally postponed the question raised by them on the zero enrolment schools (1,913) and made a false claim that the previous government (BRS) had closed 6,000 schools in the State. Instead, the present government was planning to close 4,000 schools, they said adding that the enrolment in schools had decreased by 2 lakh this year.

Published - December 16, 2024 06:36 pm IST