Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka lashed out at the TRS government over the power tariff hike, which is slated to come into effect from April 1, saying that the TRS dispensation is hell bent on imposing unbearable burden on people of Telangana after pushing the budget-surplus State towards bankruptcy owing to its “misrule.”
It will further aggravate the extreme economic hardships of people, who are hit hard by the devastating effects of the COVID-19 crisis on their livelihoods and the soaring prices of fuel, LPG and essential commodities, he said.
He was addressing a huge gathering at Ammapeta village in Mudigonda mandal after resuming his padayatra titled “People’s March” in Madhira Assembly constituency represented by him on Friday.
The CLP leader covered 102 km during the first leg of his foot march in his home constituency before taking a break to attend the Budget sessions of the State Assembly earlier this month.
Braving summer heat, he embarked on the second leg of his padayatra to cover the remaining mandals in the constituency.
Mr Vikramarka along with his wife Nandini offered special prayers at the Velugonda Swamy temple in Ammapeta before resuming his padayatra. The padayatra traversed through various villages in both Mudigonda and Chintakani mandals later in the day.
He interacted with a cross section of people including farmers, farm labourers, toddy tappers, and rural artisans to know their problems and articulate their grievances for quick resolution.
Speaking at various villages en route the padayatra, Mr Vikramarka slammed the BJP dispensation at the Centre for imposing a “backbreaking financial burden” on common man while making “hollow claims” of “Achhe Din.”
Poor and middle class people are reeling under the impact of skyrocketing prices of fuel, domestic cooking gas, essential commodities mainly edible oil,” he alleged, accusing the BJP government at the Centre of leaving millions of hapless poor people in dire straits.
He demanded that the State government immediately withdraw the power tariff hike to avoid unbearable burden on common man.
He said the representations he had received from unemployed youth, shelterless poor people, farmers and other sections during his first phase of People’s March from February 27 to March 5 were subsequently raised on the floor of the Assembly.
This prompted the State government to announce a slew of measures to curb the menace of spurious seeds, enumerate the crop losses, restore the services of the field workers of the MGNREGA, implement pay scales for SERP and MEPMA staff, issue recruitment notifications and Aasara pensions, among others, he noted.
Local leaders of opposition parties and mass organisations submitted representations on public issues to the CLP leader in various villages in Madhira constituency.
