Farmers Movement Archive

Cong moots Oppn unity with eye on assembly, LS polls

Hyderabad: Congress is trying to bring all anti-TRS and anti-BJP parties together in the run up to the 2023 assembly and 2024 general elections. The first of the opposition meetings was held at Gandhi Bhavan on Sunday with the state chiefs of Telangana Congress, CPI, CPM, TJS, CPI-ML-New Democracy 1 and 2, CPIML- Liberation, Telangana Inti Party attending it. The meeting decided that all opposition parties together would launch an agitation from October 5 onwards on issues mainly, including podu land, lakhs of acres of land not registered on Dharani portal and TRS government acquiring parcels of land assigned to Dalits by the successive Congress governments over the years. The opposition also decided to launch joint agitations against BJP and TRS governments over rising prices of petrol, diesel, domestic gas, Pegasus phone tapping, privatisation of public sector undertakings, monetisation, and the three farm laws. On the face of it, Congress is trying to project the opposition parties’ meeting as one to seek support for its Maha Dharna at Indira Park on September 22 in support of farmers and Bharat Bandh on September 27 in tune with the call given by AICC to state PCCs, against anti-people policies of BJP government at the centre, and other parties in the ruling in respective states. Sources said that Congress plan is to bring all anti-BJP and anti-TRS parties on a single platform and launch series of agitations jointly on various issues against the two governments up to 2023 polls. A team of senior and young leaders from Congress would also get in touch with civil society organisations, employee associations and various caste welfare organisations, seeking their support. Political analysts said while it is the right time to start efforts to bring opposition parties under an umbrella, the challenge would be to to keep the flock together for two years when the state is expected to go to elections. Box: 1 YSRTP, Jana Sena, TDP and BSP did not attend the opposition meet though invitations were sent to them. Congress leaders said efforts will continue to bring them too to the future meetings. The meeting convened by Telangana Congress on Sunday was attended by TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy CPI and CPM state secretaries Chada Venkat Reddy and Tammineni Veerabhadram, Telangana Jana Samithi president M Kodandaram, CPI-ML secretary S Ranga Rao, Telangana Inti Party chief Cheruku Sudhakar and Govardhan of New Democracy. Box: 2 TPCC chief Revanth Reddy said an all-party Maha Dharna on farmers’ issues will be held at Indira Park on September 22 and Bharat Bandh on September 27. Prominent leaders and activists of opposition parties would lead the Bharat Bandh protest on national highways connecting Hyderabad. All-party delegations would submit joint representations to the district collectors on September 30 seeking redressal of problems being faced by farmers. On October 5, agitation programmes would be held with regard to Podu land in and around 20 assembly constituencies covering 400 km. A ‘Podu Rasta Roko’ from Adilabad to Aswaraopet would also be organised, he added.

The Times of India

2021-09-20

Hyderabad