Farmers attack Telangana MP’s convoy, clash with BJP workers

Holding placards demanding the setting up of the turmeric board and raising slogans against the MP, the farmers demanded his immediate resignation for failing to live up to his promise.

A mob of farmers attacked the convoy of Telangana BJP MP Dharmapuri Arvind with stones and sticks on Tuesday in Nizamabad district, alleging that he has failed to fulfil his pre-election promise of securing a turmeric board for the state from the Centre.

Dharmapuri Arvind, who represents Nizamabad parliamentary constituency, was going to Nandipet block to attend party programmes, when he was waylaid by a mob of over 200 farmers at Issapally village of Armoor block. (PTI)

Arvind, who represents Nizamabad parliamentary constituency, was going to Nandipet block to attend party programmes, when he was waylaid by a mob of over 200 farmers at Issapally village of Armoor block.

Holding placards demanding the setting up of the turmeric board and raising slogans against the MP, the farmers demanded his immediate resignation for failing to live up to his promise.

The windshield of the MP’s car was damaged in stone pelting. The BJP workers accompanying the convoy retaliated, sparking clashes between the two groups.

With the situation going out of control, police swung into action and carried out baton charge to disperse the warring groups. Arvind returned to Nizamabad in another vehicle without attending his scheduled programmes.

Arvind, who defeated Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter Kalvakuntla Kavitha in the 2019 general election from Nizamabad, promised during the electioneering that he would secure the much-awaited turmeric board from the Centre for the farmers within a month of getting elected as MP.

He also signed a bond on a stamp paper to that effect and got it registered, saying he would resign from his MP seat if he failed to fulfill his promise.

However, the Centre refused to create a separate board for turmeric as there is already a spices board which includes turmeric. Arvind got a promise from the Centre that a regional office of the spices board would be set up at Nizamabad.

Soon after the incident, the BJP activists squatted on the Armoor road and staged a dharna, in protest against the attack on the MP. Traffic came to a grinding halt for over an hour. Special police pickets were posted in Issapally and Nandipet to prevent any untoward incidents.

The BJP MP alleged that those who attacked his convoy were not turmeric farmers, but the TRS activists. “They have been issuing statements saying they would stall my visit to the constituency. Yet, the police have not taken any action to prevent the mob attack,” he told reporters.

“I called up local police officials, but they failed to control the TRS workers, who blocked my convoy by burning tyres on the road. It clearly showed that the police are acting at the behest of the ruling party,” he alleged.

Arvind said he would lodge a complaint with the privileges committee of the Lok Sabha and also bring it to the notice of the BJP national leadership.

He later lodged a complaint with Nizamabad police commissioner KR Nagaraju and demanded that a case of attempt to murder be filed against the protestors.

Senior TRS legislator from Armoor constituency A Jeevan Reddy said the TRS had nothing to do with the incident. “It was the turmeric farmers who prevented the MP from entering their villages, as he has miserably failed to fulfill his pre-election promise,” Reddy said.He demanded that Arvind should answer the queries of the angry farmers before making wild allegations against the TRS. “Is it not true that the MP has betrayed the farmers?” he asked.

BJP national vice-president D K Aruna and legislator Eatala Rajender also condemned the attack on the Nizamabad MP.