Issue passbooks to tenant farmers: Congress Kisan Cell

Hyderabad: Congress Kisan Cell on Wednesday demanded the government to give passbooks to all the 11 lakh tenant farmers so that they could get rights on the land they are tilling.

Addressing the media, Kisan Cell national vice-chairman M Kodanda Reddy, Telangana Kisan Cell president Anvesh Reddy and former MLA Narsa Reddy said that they would build an agitation if the government did not give passbooks to tenant farmers at the earliest.

Kodanda Reddy demanded that the government should withdraw the case booked against farmer Kanakaiah of Karimnagar district and release him from prison. He said that farmers should not resort to killing or committing suicides. He stated that Kanakaiah owns a land of four acres and it was not mentioned in the new passbook.

"Though several times, he approached the revenue officials there was no use. The farmer went to MRO office with kerosene and poured it on him. However, the kerosene fell on the computers.

With this, the police arrested him and filed an attempt to murder case," he explained the incidents leading to his arrest. Kodanda Reddy said that officials have prepared another passbook restoring land to Kanakaiah after the Congress leaders met him in prison.

Kodanda Reddy wanted to know as to whom should be blamed for the delay in issuing the passbooks. He said that the new Revenue Act being proposed by the chief minister should address the issues like assignment land, endowment land, tenant farming and others.

Anvesh Reddy said that they have toured several districts and found that the Revenue officials are not giving passbooks to rightful owners of the lands.