Demonitisation has badly hit farm sector: Uttam

Hyderabad, Jan 7 (INN): Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the demonitisation move had a negative impact on the agricultural sector affecting the sowing process across the country.

Addressing a massive dharna at Suryapet district headquarters on Saturday, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the note ban drastically reduced the sowing area in the current Rabi season. According to a rough estimate, as against the normal sowing area of 12.07 lakh hectares in Telangana State, the sowing area, as on January 4, got reduced to 5.57 Lakh Ha or just 46%. This would have a consequent effect on agricultural production leading to shortage of food grains and other commodities in the next few months. He said that the demonitisation has dealt a severe blow to the rural economy. Similarly, he said small traders, petty businessmen and even housewives were badly hit due to demonitisation.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created financial chaos across the country by implementing the note ban without any planning. Even after two months, he said that the country was yet to recover from the effect of demonitisation. He said the move has been condemned by all experts including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen. He said that the Prime Minister's silence on the Citizen's Charter of Demand, presented by AICC Rahul Gandhi, was nothing but a silent confession that he ruined country's entire economy. He said that the Prime Minister need to give details on how much black money was unearthed through demonitisation. Further, he said that all restrictions on withdrawal of money from banks and ATMs should be removed.

Condemning Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for supporting the demonitisation move, the TPCC chief accused him of giving preference to political gains over the interest of Telangana people. He said almost all sectors were badly hit due to note ban and instead of doing an honest assessment of the situation, the Chief Minister was busy praising Modi. He said that the demonitisation has badly affected not only marriages, but also funerals. But KCR was not willing to see the reality and trying to cover up his own economic failures under the demonitisation move.

Uttam Kumar Reddy asked Congress cadre to expose the failures of both BJP Government at the Centre and TRS Government in the State to the people of Telangana. He stressed on strengthening the party at all levels and said only Congress party had the right policies and programmes to bring economic growth in Telangana State. He said that it was the Congress party which gave a Revenue Surplus 'Telangana'. But the TRS Government, with its wrong policies, has pushed the State into huge debts and financial crisis. Situation has turned so worse that the TRS Government diverted funds meant for farmers' input subsidy and even SC, ST Sub-Plan. He said that the situation would improve only after Congress party returns to power in 2019 elections.

The dharna, organised by former minister R. Damodar Reddy, was also addressed by Leader of Opposition in Assembly K. Jana Reddy, AICC Secretary R. C. Khuntia, AICC SC Department chairman Koppula Raju, Kodad MLA N. Padmavathi and other senior leaders.

Earlier in the day, Uttam Kumar Reddy, along with Jana Reddy and Nalgonda MLA Komatireddy Venkat Reddy addressed a joint press conference and slammed the TRS for not fulfilling any of the promises that it made during elections.

Similar dharnas were held by the Congress party across the Telangana State in protest against the inconvenience caused to the common man due to demonitisation.