Protesting farmers to gift KCR new glasses to 'correct' his vision

The opposition in Telangana is resorting to novel methods to embarrass chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) on the Mallanna Sagar reservoir issue. To add to KCR's discomfiture, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) now wants to buy him a fresh pair of glasses to correct his 'distorted' vision. The party will make the purchase through contributions from the poor farmers in the CM's Gajwel constituency in Medak district. The CPM is asking each farmer in Gajwel to contribute something towards the new glasses. 

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Some 30,000 farmers in Medak district have been protesting the construction of the Rs 9800 crore Mallanna Sagar reservoir that would submerge some 20,000 acres of farmland. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) government in the state claims that the 50 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) dam will irrigate some 12 lakh acres. 

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The idea to send this 'gift' to KCR was mooted by CPM politburo member Brinda Karat in Hyderabad.  Addressing the 'Maha Dharna' organised by the party at Hyderabad, Brinda Karat asked the Telangana chief minister KCR to change his spectacles immediately. "KCR is not able to see the reality of his own constituency. Hence he is dubbing the protests by poor farmers against the forcible acquisition of land in Gajwel area as motivated and instigated by the opposition. I request KCR to change his glasses so that he could see the travails of the small and marginal farmers,” she said. 

The response was quick. The farmers, who overwhelmingly voted for KCR in 2014 walked up to the stage even while Karat was addressing the meeting to offer their contribution. A majority of them were women. And most of them were women. 

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Talking to Asianet Newsable CPM Telangana secretary, Tammineni Veerbhadram said: " Yesterday farmers donated about Rs 800. We have plans to take this campaign to every household in the project area and ask them to donate Rs 1 per head to buy the glasses for chief minister. This is clearly a case of vision defect as KCR is not able to see how poor farmers are suffering in his own backyard.” 

Because of the restrictions imposed on the outsiders visiting Gajwel, CPM organised the dharna in Hyderabad. Given the agitation and police lathi charge on last Saturday, thousands of police have been deployed in the Mallanna Sagar project area. Section 144 has been imposed and no outsider is allowed to cross the district borders. Dozens of check posts had been erected to prevent Congress leaders to reach Gajwel as part of the Chalo Mallanna Sagar march on Sunday. 

• Mallanna Sagar
• KCR
• telangana dam
• Telangana