TRS Harassing Sarpanches: Congress

Telangana Congress leaders today alleged that the TRS-led state government was harassing the sarpanches of the state, and was even diverting the panchayat funds meant for rural development.

The leaders, while addressing a Satyagraha Deeksha program at the Indira Park organised by the activists of the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sangathan to highlight the problems being faced by the sarpanches in the state, also alleged that the state government had not yet given funds to those villages which had unanimously-elected sarpanches.

TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir all addressed the gathering.

Speaking on the occasion, Reddy alleged that the powers of the gram panchayats had been diluted completely, and that the state government had reduced the state's village-level public representatives to decorative pieces.

Assuring the representatives that the Congress would extend its unconditional support to help them get justice, he urged the aggrieved sarpanches to lodge complaints with the state convenor of the Panchayat Sangathan.

Referring to the recent arrest of senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao, the TPCC chief also alleged that the state government was harassing the Congress' public representatives, and warned it against doing so.

"I have never before seen a government as cruel and unjust as the TRS government. It is now even arresting public representatives for carrying out peaceful protest programs. It is time that the TRS be removed from power," he said.

Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka also lashed out at the TRS government, and accused it of disenfranchising the panchayats of the state.

"When the Congress was in power in undivided Andhra Pradesh, it would release funds directly to the villages. But today the state government is diverting those funds to buy tractors, construct crematoria, and carry out tree plantation programs instead of supporting rural development. It is even threatening dissenting sarpanches by saying it will annul their economic powers," he said.

The CLP leader then urged the people of the state to come forward and join hands with the Congress to achieve the gram rajyas envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi.

Like Reddy, he too expressed displeasure at the arrest of VHR, and alleged that the state government had no standard protocol regarding the treatment of politicians in the state.

Shabbir Ali also said that there was an urgent need to protect the panchayat raj system in the state.

He alleged that it was not only the sarpanches that had been disempowered by the TRS government - the district Collectors had also been turned into puppets in the TRS party's rule.

Veteran Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao, MLC J Geeta Reddy and former PCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah were among the other party leaders who took part in the program.