Pawan Kalyan warns of stir

AP land acquisition

Penumaka (Guntur dist): Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan on Sunday threatened to stage a dharna if the Andhra Pradesh government goes ahead with the ‘forcible’ land acquisition for the construction of the state capital.

While advising the government not to resort to force, Pawan Kalyan made it clear that he is ready to launch indefinite fast if the government failed to withdraw the land acquisition notification.

Addressing farmers of the capital region at Penumaka village in Guntur district, the Jana Sena chief said he was in the village as a farmer to know the problems of the farmers. He said issues should be settled through discussions across the table.

While criticising some ministers for their comments against him, he said: "If the farmers give their land voluntarily, I have no objection. I am not against construction of the new capital. I request the government to be more responsible." "I am a political ally to them (TDP-BJP combine). I am not a slave to them. I will not agree to whatever they decide.

I would not hesitate to fight against TDP, if necessary, to protect the farmers' rights," he said. In an emotion-choked voice, Pawan Kalyan said he had earlier differed with his brother Chiranjeevi and extended support to the TDP for the sake of people.

Farmers pour out their woes before Pawan

Jana Sena party chief Pawan Kalyan gave a patient hearing to the woes of farmers of capital region at Penumaka village of Guntur district on Sunday. He expressed his fears about threat to food security if the government destroys such multi crop areas.

• Gives patient hearing to farmers’ woes
• Farmers threaten to sacrifice lives to protect their lands
• Followers of TDP leaders attend Pawan's meeting

The farmers told him that they were ready to sacrifice their life to protect their lands. Interestingly, followers of TDP leaders attended the meeting and left the venue silently. He listened to all the farmers who expressed their problems for more than an hour.

Exhibiting the variety of crops of the region, the farmers opined that the government should not go for forceful land acquisition to destroy the multiple crop area. A woman of Penumaka village reached the venue with her two children and said that she has one acre of land and questioned about the future of her children if the government forcefully takes it away.

Another farmer of Yerrubalem said that he has 40 cents of land and all his family members including her parents are living on the piece of land. He said if the government take away the land forcefully they have no alternative except to sacrifice their lives.

Another farmer of Bethapudi said that he can earn Rs 5,000 a day by selling jasmines cultivated in his one acre land and is not ready to offer his land to government. Some of the villagers complained that the officials are threatening the villagers to take away small piece of land which comes under grama kantam.

Another villager of Undavalli said that the TDP government has been acting like British Raj and threatening the villagers. While the farmers rested the responsibility of protecting small farmers on Pawan Kalyan, he said that he will not hesitate to launch fast to prevent land acquisition in capital region.

He said the TDP leaders opposed land acquisition during Congress regime and now they are following the same. When a woman farmer reached the meeting venue with lunch box, Pawan Kalyan enquired whether she came with curd rice and invited her on to the dais.