Nizamabad turmeric farmers to contest against Modi

Hyderabad: A group of 50 farmers, claiming to be turmeric farmers, left for Kashi on Thursday to file their nomination papers on April 27 to contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi.

The farmers' group under the banner of Telangana Turmeric Farmers Association left for Kashi by a train on Thursday. Talking to The Hans India, the group head P Tirupati Reddy said all the 50 members were going to Varanasi and all of them would filing nominations on April 27.

Regarding the allegations levelled by the BJP leader Dharmapuri Arvind, Tirupati Reddy said he would leave the comments to the BJP leader's conscience. However, Tirupati Reddy said he was a farmer by profession.

"I am a farmer and Arvind is not... I can plough the farm if anyone has doubts in me. The BJP leader welcomed the farmers when they were contesting against TRS leader K Kavitha and when they are fighting against PM Modi, he is talking irresponsibly," said Tirupati Reddy.

Tirupati Reddy said they would not campaign against or for any of the candidates. "We will be meeting main political parties for solving our problems.

The farmers may also be affiliated to a political party and there is nothing wrong in it, but to say that we are not farmers is not correct," said Tirupati Reddy, adding that another group of 50 farmers from Erode would also be joining them when they would file nomination papers.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Nizamabad BJP candidate Arvind had alleged that the people, who claimed to be turmeric farmers, were not real farmers, but TRS party activists.

He said they had all had worked for TRS in the recent Assembly elections. "The press statement released about farmers contesting in Varanasi was wrong and these people did not contest in the Lok Sabha elections also. They are creating fake news for political dramas," said Arvind.

The BJP leader alleged that the Nizamabad MP was enacting political dramas out of frustration because of farmers filing nominations in the Lok Sabha elections.

Arvind listed out names of few farmers who had singed the letter issued on Tuesday pointing out that they were associated with TRS.

Arvind said that one person M Ganga Reddy from Govindpet is a TRS Rythu Vibhagam vice-president, K Chinna Reddy from Padigela is director of State Seed Certification Company, Ch Ganesh is also a TRS leader and is not involved in farming, he said.