Strict Action In Vikarabad Attacks Case: Congress

Revenue and Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy today reiterated the Congress government's commitment to protecting the rights and safety of both farmers and officials, following the recent attack on the Vikarabad Collector and the officials in Lagacharla.

He said that the State government had taken the incident seriously, and would not hesitate to take strict action against those who, under the guise of farmers, disrupted law and order.

The minister said that such attacks were unacceptable. "If violence against officials is tolerated today, tomorrow the violence could be against political leaders or even the public. An attack on officials is, in essence, an attack on the people themselves," he said.

The minister said that the BRS had a history of expliting farmers and the weaker sections - he said that during the BRS rule chilli farmers in Khammam were imprisoned, Mallanna Sagar farmers were labelled as traitors, and dalits were subjected to ill-treatment in the Sircilla Assembly constituency represented by BRS working president K T Rama Rao. It was the same culture on display in Vikarabad, too, he alleged.

He said that the Congress government was however fully prepared to listen to the farmers' issues and find solutions, and urged the farmers to recognize the disruptive elements attempting to create distance between them and the government officials.