BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao alleged that the Congress government was forcibly acquiring assigned lands belonging to Dalits, tribals and poor farmers in the name of industrial development, and vowed that the BRS would extend legal and political support to affected families.

Addressing the BRS Parigi Assembly constituency general body meeting on Friday, he claimed that the Congress had gone back on its election promise to grant ownership rights to assignees. Now it was taking away assigned lands under the guise of establishing industrial parks.

Referring to the land acquisition controversy at Lagacherla, Mr. Rama Rao accused Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of targeting farmers who refused to part with their land. He alleged that police cases were filed against them, tribals were jailed and subjected to harassment.

The BRS leader asserted that his party would not allow poor farmers to be dispossessed of their assigned lands in Parigi. If the government was genuinely committed to industrial development, it should first confer pattas on assigned landholders, pay them adequate compensation and acquire land only with the consent of farmers.

Questioning the government’s irrigation plans for the Parigi region, Mr. Rama Rao alleged that while the BRS government had proposed supplying water through a gravity-based system, the present government had opted for a ₹4,400-crore lift irrigation scheme to facilitate commissions.

The former Minister also challenged the Chief Minister over his promise of making one crore women millionaires. He said that if the government credited ₹1.5 lakh into the account of every eligible woman, he would retire permanently from politics.