Political Deekshas Heat Up Karimnagar Ahead of Elections

Karimnagar: Politics in Karimnagar is revolving around deekshas — those being held by political parties for farmers and weavers. While most of these are being held by the Opposition parties, the Congress has planned one on Sunday.

Leaders of the BJP and the BRS surprised people by rushing to agricultural fields and paddy purchase centres to try and console farmers, something they had not done before the Congress came to power.

The Congress government implementing some of the Six Guarantees promises like free bus travel for women, LPG at ₹ 500 and 200 units of free power has apparently taken away talking points from the Opposition.

The BRS and the BJP were therefore seen to take up the issue of drought-like conditions and rain damage to crops with programmes like ‘polam bata’ and ‘rythu deeksha’ to support of the farming community.

BRS chief K. Chandrashekar Rao has visited Jangaon, Nalgonda, Karimnagar and Rajanna Sircilla districts and asked his party to take up rythu deekshas to demand ₹ 25,000 compensation for affected farmers.

Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar took up a rythu deeksha at his camp office in Karimnagar, alleging that the Congress government had deceived the farmers by not fulfilling giving ₹ 500 per quintal crop bonus nor waiting ₹ 2 lakh farm loans.

Interestingly, Sanjay had announced a ‘nethanna deeksha’ on April 10 in Sircilla, in support of handloom workers who were on strike for two months seeking fresh orders and payment of pending bills.

Transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar persuaded the handloom weavers to withdraw their strike following which Sanjay called off taking up his nethanna deeksha.

As a counter-strike, Prabhakar and party leaders have announced a deeksha on April 14 in Karimnagar in protest against the BJP and BRS for betraying the farmers.