Turmeric growers of Nizamabad district had defeated Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter Kalvakuntla Kavitha in April 2019 Lok Sabha elections for failing to resolve their long-pending demand for setting up of a turmeric board to ensure remunerative prices for their produce.
Now, they have turned their ire at present Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind, who defeated Kavitha in the last elections.
On Monday, they took out a padayatra from Elktoor village in Mendora mandal, under the aegis of Turmeric Farmers Joint Action Committee (JAC).
During the elections, Aravind had given in writing to the farmers that he would ensure setting up of a turmeric board in the district within five days of his victory. But it has been more than six months since he became an MP, but he has not made any efforts to set up a turmeric board.
After keeping silent for a couple of months, the turmeric farmers have started bringing pressure on Arvind to fulfil his promise.
What hurt the farmers was the insensitive comments by the MP who said the demand for turmeric board is like an outdated Ambassador car “that would be of no use to the farmer.”
The farmers, who burnt effigies of the BJP MP in various places, demanded that he fulfil his promise. They were joined in the protest padayatra by Congress, Left and other political parties.
The padayatra began in Elktoor village and passed through Savel, Kodicherla and Mendora villages. The JAC leaders collected the signatures of turmeric farmers and people in support of their demand for the setting up of turmeric board.
Anwesh, Turmeric Farmers JAC leader, said Aravind assured farmers that the turmeric board would be set up, but it is now six months and there was no forward movement on the issue.
“Aravind should resign from the MP’s post and join us in our fight for the Board,” he said.
At Yergatla mandal headquarters, protesting turmeric farmers burnt the effigy of Aravind and submitted a memorandum to the Tahsildar listing their demands. In Balkonda mandal, the farmers staged protest and organised rasta roko on NH 44.