People's Democracy

 ANDHRA PRADESH

CPI(M) Leads Farmers’ Agitation For Release Of  Water

 M Venugopala Rao

A 10-day long resolute agitation of farmers unleashed by the CPI(M) forced a flippant Chandrababu Naidu government to agree to release water from the Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP) to the Sagar left canal. This would save crops in nearly one lakh acres of land in Nalgonda district and drinking water supply would be ensured. The agitation comprised of many forms of struggle – rallies, processions, dharnas, demonstrations, raasta rokos, laying of siege to offices of engineers of Nagarjuna Sagar project, bandhs and public meetings – but it was centred mainly on an indefinite hunger strike launched by the CPI(M) leaders.

M V Narasimha Reddy, CPI(M) central committee member, inaugurated the indefinite hunger strike of CPI(M) leaders – J Ranga Reddy, former  MLA,  P Sekhar Rao, and M Ramulu, Mandal Parishad presidents of Nereducharla and Munagala, and V Venkateswarlu on September 20 at Miryalaguda.  Several opposition parties, unions and associations extended their support to the agitation demanding release of water to the Nagarjuna Sagar left canal. Thousands of farmers began agitating almost every day at several places in the district. The police resorted to lathicharge on the agitating farmers at many places and arrested them.

On September 23, the police resorted to lathicharge on the workers and leaders of the CPI(M) conducting rasta roko at Kodad and arrested them.  The issue was raised in the legislative assembly the next day in the form of an adjournment motion, the notices for which were given by the floor leader of the CPI(M), N Narasimhaiah, and member S Rajayya on two days.  With the Speaker rejecting the notice and Narasimhaiah, supported by the leader of the opposition, Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, insisting on a statement by the government on the issue, there were heated arguments between the opposition and the treasury benches. Members belonging to the CPI(M) and the Congress rushed to the podium of the Speaker and staged a sit-in, protesting against refusal of mike to the floor leader of the CPI(M).  The proceedings of the House were stalled for half an hour.

About one thousand farmers, including women from five mandals laid siege to the offices of MRO and RDO at Miryalguda and later went in a procession to the office of the SE of NSP, where the police obstructed their entry into the office.  In the ensuing melee, the CITU leader N Anjaiah’s  finger was cut in the grill and the enraged agitators destroyed the furniture in the office.  Mallu Swarajyam, CPI(M) central committee member and Ch Sitaramulu, CPI(M) district secretary, pacified the agitators.  On September 25 a bandh was observed in the ayacut area of the left canal successfully, with demonstrations and rasta rokos,  besides agitating farmers laying siege to the offices of DE of NSP at Nereducharla  and of  SE in Miryalguda.  Youth took out a procession of an effigy of the chief minister and burnt it at the centre of Nereducharla.

On September 26, a public meeting was held at the hunger strike camp in Miryalaguda, which was addressed by leaders of opposition parties and mass organisations.  B V Raghavulu, CPI(M) state secretary,  found fault with the government for not maintaining the minimum draw down level of 510 ft in Nagarjuna Sagar dam by impounding required water contrary to the consensus expressed at the all-party meeting held by the chief minister earlier in Hyderabad.  He accused the government of creating regional differences for its own vested interest.  Raghavulu and other leaders warned the government that the agitation would continue till water from NSP was released to the left canal and that it would be responsible for the ensuing consequences.  S Sudhakar Reddy, CPI state secretary, B N Reddy of MCPI, Congress MLAs P Govardhan Reddy and V Purushotham Reddy, and others addressed the meeting, which was presided over by Ch Sitaramulu.

As decided in a round-table meeting at Nalgonda on September 26, held under the banner of the Nalgonda district committee of the CPI(M), thousands of farmers, including women, from different areas started arriving from early morning of September 27 and laid siege to the NSP for five hours.  There was heavy deployment of police, including the CRPF, at the NSP dam and offices of the CE and SE.  The farmers held a dharna for two hours at the office of the CE, holding red flags and raising resounding slogans demanding release of water for the left canal.  A public meeting was held on the highway for two hours which was addressed by the leaders of the CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) and other mass organisations. They denounced the failure of the government in releasing 2.4 TMC ft of water to the left canal as per the resolution of the district development and review council.  With the chief engineer of NSP not coming out of his office, the agitators jumped over the compound wall and rushed into his office.  The police resorted to lathicharge in which CPI(M) leaders N Venkata Swamy and J Basavayya and others were injured.  With the agitating farmers sitting right in front of his office, the CE was forced to come out and receive a memorandum from them. He promised that the government would release drinking water to the left canal within a week.  Not satisfied with his promise, the farmers held a two-kilometer-long demonstration on the dam holding red flags.   

The ten-day indefinite fast was given up on September 29 with the assurance given by the government to release water to the left canal.  Addressing a public meeting on the occasion, APCC official spokesman K Rosaiah, M V Narasimha Reddy,  Mallu Swarajyam, S Rajayya and local MLA R Srinivas termed it a people’s victory and warned the government that the agitation would be intensified, if it went back on its assurance.