Cops foil YSRCP move to hold meeting

Parchuru: The police foiled the move of YSRCP to organise a meeting at Devarapalli village on Sunday by imposing Section 144 and taking the leaders, including the district president Balineni Srinivasa Reddy into preventive custody and house arrests.

In all, 39 Dalit families in Devarapalli, a village in Parchuru mandal, are fighting to reclaim their right over 22 acres land, which is being cultivated by them for three decades.

The land, which is a part of the village tank once, is identified by the government under Neeru-Chettu scheme for renovation and de-silting after the local panchayat passed a resolution for the revival of the tank to address the drinking and agricultural needs of the village.

But the families are opposing the decision of the government and it’s taking back of the land by using force and banning the entry of public into it. The Opposition parties, including the CPI, CPM, YSRCP and Dalit Fronts, extended their support for Dalits and visiting the village to support them.

The Communists and Dalit leaders alleged that the local TDP MLA is trying to grab the land from Dalits to make profit for the upper caste people in the village. After the failure of repeated attempts of Communist parties and Dalit Organisations in the last two weeks, the YSRCP planned a meeting in Devarapalli on Sunday.

Sensing tense situation, the authorities imposed Section144 in the village and started taking the leaders into preventive custody. The police put the YSRCP district president Balineni Srinivasa Reddy under house arrest since the early morning on Sunday and arrested YSRCP leaders Yadam Balaji, Dr Amruthapani, Meruga Nagarjuna before they reach Devarapalli. The police took Gottipati Bharat into custody for violating the Section 144 and entering the restricted land.

Balineni Srinivasa Reddy said, “There is a monarchy like a rule in the the state. The public is forced to keep their mouths shut by imposing restrictions on them and they are trying to take the land from Dalits by applying police force. The government is fearing our visit to Devarapalli and used police force. They cannot use force for more number of days to stop us. We will definitely go there soon and support the Dalit families.”

However, local MLA Eluri Sambasiva Rao denied the allegations about his involvement in the government taking the land.
He said, “We have done desilting and renovation work in the constituency in almost all villages except two or three places like Devarapalli. The tank is the only source for the drinking and agricultural needs of the village.

Being deprived of drinking and irrigation water, the villagers passed a resolution to revive the tank with the Neeru-Chettu scheme. We know that there are a few poor families who do not have alternative land for cultivation.

We are ready to provide the same extent of land for lease for five years at some other place in the village, along with providing benefits under other schemes like NTR Swagruha and cattle schemes. But the Opposition parties are trying to make an issue out of nothing and diverting the innocent people in the village for their political mileage.”