The Hindu : Six Cong. MLAs quit over water issue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Six Cong. MLAs quit over water issue

By Our Special Correspondent

VIJAYAWADA SEPT. 16. Six Congress MLAs from the Krishna and Guntur districts have sought permission from the Pradesh Congress Committee to resign their Assembly membership to protest the "dilly-dallying" in the release of 10,000 cusecs of water from the Nagarjuna Sagar to save the kharif crop.

The MLAs — Mandali Buddhaprasad (Avanigadda), Pinnamaneni Venkateswara Rao (Mudinepalli), Yerneni Raja Ramchander (Kaikaluru), M. Hanumantha Rao (Mangalagiri), G. Venkata Reddy (Duggirala) and M.V. Ramana Rao (Kuchinapudi) — wrote to the PCC chief, D. Srinivas, expressing their desire. They sent the letter through the APCC spokesperson, K. Rosaiah, who visited them at their camp last night.

Mr. Buddhaprasad said the Government had assured the farmers of all possible help in saving the kharif crop in the Krishna delta but had failed to release adequate water till date. Hence, they had decided to resign their Assembly seats.

The resignation letters were, however, addressed to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, K. Pratibha Bharati. In their covering letter, the MLAs urged the PCC chief to look into the matter, understand the seriousness of the issue and take a decision on their resignations.

Earlier, the Congress MLAs had served an ultimatum on the State Government to resign from the Assembly if water was not released into the KWD by September 15 during their dharna at the Prakasam barrage. Currently, meagre 500 cusecs of water was flowing into the Krishna western main canal.

On the logic of sending in the resignations to the APCC president, they said it was the AICC which gave them the ticket, and as such the party should take the final decision. The failure of the State Government in releasing water clearly indicated the `callous attitude' towards the farmers.

The MLAs urged the Government to open its eyes at least now. They felt it was not `fair' on their part to continue as legislators when the farming community was in dire straits. Their resignations were a `gesture of solidarity' with farmers.

Mr.Hanumantha Rao and Mr. Ramana Rao would take up the proposed indefinite fast in front of the office of the Revenue Divisional Officer at Tenali. However, Mr. Venkat Reddy was exempted from the fast owing to health reasons.

High drama preceded the announcement of the resignations as the MLAs held several rounds of discussions with the District Congress Committee president, Rayapati Srinivas, and other senior party leaders. Stating that crops to the extent of five lakh acres under the KWD were getting dried up for want of water, the Congress wanted the Government to pay compensation to those who did not take up transplantation of paddy and release water for those who took up agriculture operations.

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