NANDED: In his first public meeting outside Telangana state, BRS national president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Sunday called upon the farmers to enter the electoral fray, asserting that if farmers, who made up more than 42 per cent of the country's population, unite, “we can form a formidable ‘kisan sarkar’.”
Addressing the large public meeting in Nanded in Maharashtra on Sunday, which borders Telangana and has a sizeable population of Telugu-speaking people. he claimed that if the BRS came to power at the Centre, it would guarantee two years of uninterrupted, high-quality power supply to every part of the nation, and that only a "kisan sarkar" could guarantee irrigation water to every acre and drinking water to every household in the nation.
He told the gathering that the number of people in the agriculture sector rises to 50 per cent of the country’s population when farm labour is taken into consideration, and urged them to set aside caste and religion and fight together for victory in the upcoming elections. Nearly 7,000 people attended the meeting in a small ground next to the gurudwara in Nanded, most of whom had been mobilised from Telugu-speaking surrounding parts of Maharashtra
Rao claimed that Maharashtra had the highest rate of farmer suicides in the nation and asked why the state, which has abundant natural resources and rivers running through it, had such a high rate. He claimed that this was due to the failure of the successive governments and the lack of political will to alleviate the suffering of the farmers. "Even after 75 years of Independence, many places in the country don’t have access to drinking water and also water for irrigation."
Before Telangana was created, he claimed, there were more farmer suicides, but the number had decreased after the formation of the state as a result of the pro-farmer policies of the BRS government.
“This is why the BRS government slogan is "Abki ki Baar, Kisan Sarkar". It is possible to form a government at the Centre, if we unite. If a kisan government is elected both at the state and Centre, farmer suicides will halt. Every person of the nation should reject the flawed Central policies being implemented in the coal, electricity, irrigation, and health sectors in order to achieve this,” he asserted.
"No party has given this call so far in the country, but today BRS is saying, 'Ab ki baar, kisan Sarkar'. People have to think about why farmers are in such dire straits in the country. Why does the ‘annadaata’ have to commit suicide? Can’t we provide water for irrigation and free power to the farmer? It can be done but successive governments have not done anything. Farmers cannot just be on farms anymore. They have to become lawmakers to bring in beneficial laws. Only then will a kisan sarkar be possible," the BRS chief said.
"Today, the time has come. 75 years is a long period. Farmers should also be able to write and make rules," he said.
Citing Balka Suman, a student leader became an MP at a young age in Telangana, Rao exhorted the farmers and their leaders to contest in the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections to be held in Maharashtra and become leaders to defend the rights of the common people and of the farming community.
Rao said the country was doing poorly in many areas and even lagging behind neighbouring countries, and blamed the BJP-led government at the Centre for the slow economic growth over the past eight years as well as the previous Congress government for failing to lead the country toward growth.
Regarding the "Make in India" initiative, Rao argued that instead of the Central government establishing local marketplaces and industrial facilities, markets everywhere were swamped with Chinese products. He claimed that in order to change the current system, farmers must take the pen (kalam) and run for office as elected representatives rather than pulling ploughs.
“Farmers should be able to write and make rules," he said. The CM called upon young advocates, intellectuals, academics, balladeers, and women to ponder over the issues confronting the nation and hold discussions to overthrow the current dispensation at the Centre.
Earlier in the day, Rao visited the Gurudwara Sachkhand to offer prayers and garlanded statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Jyotirao Phule and Savitibai Phule, among others at the main venue. MLC K. Kavitha, party leaders Balka Suman, Allola Indrakaran Reddy, Jogu Ramanna, Godam Nagesh and others were present. Two former Adivasi MLAs, Thodasam Raju and Deepak Atram, and sarpanches and ex-sarpanches and some ZPTC members joined the BRS in the presence of Chandrashekar Rao.
The BRS had made massive arrangements in Nanded town for the public rally, which received a good response. The entire meeting area had turned pink with party flags, hoardings, balloons and posters.
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