Reaffirming that small, medium, tenant farmers and farm hands are in distress and scared on the land acquisition policy of the TDP Government, YSR Congress has said that it will stand by the people whose opinion is being bulldozed for commercial gains as the exercise is being turning into a real estate activity.

“The State has to take into consideration the plight of small, medium, tenant farmers and agriculture labour before taking any decision. Instead the State is trying to launch a campaign by a handpicked few who stated that the majority of the farmers are in favour of giving up their lands while the reality is otherwise,” Party spokesperson K Parthasarathi told reporters in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

Party President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has constituted a committee headed by Dharmana Prasada Rao which has toured the region of the proposed capital city to know firsthand the public opinion which is totally in contrast to what the State has been saying.

“The Government has been propagating that the farmers have unanimously agreed to part with their land but the opinion expressed by the locals is totally the opposite. They are living under duress and spending sleepless nights fearing that their land will be taken away and they are in for a tough time.

Small and medium farmers and tenant farmers are unable to express their opinion as they fear backlash after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu stating that if the farmers will not give their land voluntarily, it will be taken through legislation.

The State has selected five TDP supporters from each village and is rubbing their opinion on the majority of the people of the region. The land is fertile and the locals have employment throughout the year. If it is given away, agriculture labour will not find an alternative and the age factor does not suit to the so-called upgrading of skills being promised by the State,” he said.

We are not against the capital coming up in any place but all displaced persons should be adequately compensated and their opinion should be taken into consideration and confidence should be instilled among the locals, failing which we will stand by them and fight against the injustice,” he said.