Interview| MP candidate Jeevan Reddy: Kavitha, Arvind failed Nizamabad; Congress will open sugar factories by Dec 2025

Nizamabad: Corner meetings, ground meetings at night and door-to-door campaigns are in full swing in Nizamabad. The heat is not taking the spirit away from people to come out and listen to their leaders for the Lok Sabha elections. The leaders are even meeting the farmers while the latter are busy packing the hay stacks in farms.

However, the demand for the establishment of the turmeric board and sugar factories has continued to remain a core poll issue in Nizamabad for the last 10 years.

Turmeric board and sugar factories important to Nizamabad voters

The turmeric farmers are upset that even after the board has been declared it is not yet clear where it will be set up. There are three sugar factories which the sugarcane farmers want the government to restart. The voters are demanding that these two pertinent issues be resolved immediately.

Senior Congress leader T Jeevan Reddy is the Indian National Congress nominee for the Member of Parliament seat from Nizamabad. In a conversation with NewsMeter, Jeevan Reddy explains the party’s decision on the establishment of sugar factories and rumours about polarisation of voters in the region.

He is reaching out to people with the assurance that the Congress party will fulfil the promises that the earlier two MPs – K Kavitha from Bharat Rashtra Samithi and sitting MP Arvind Dharmapuri – have failed.

NM: For the last 10 years, people in Nizamabad have been demanding the turmeric board. What is the present status of this issue?

Jeevan Reddy: The issue of the turmeric board is where it has always been. Five years ago, the sitting MP Arvind Dharmapuri gave a bond to people that within five days, they would get a turmeric board and also the support price for jowar. Even for the current 2024 polls, he was found promising to get the turmeric board to Nizamabad if he wins. Why is he making the same promise again? His statement is evidence and shows that he has not fulfilled the promise he made to the people.

NM: What is the feedback you are getting from the farmers over here?

Jeevan Reddy: Farmers are disturbed by the false promises. Fortunately, this time, the crop extension is reduced and has also led to low production of crops. Farmers are finally getting a considerable price for their crops. They are able to get Rs 15,000 per quintal and they are not so angry. But the board is their requirement and they want it set up as soon as possible.

NM: The major question people are asking is about the sugar factories. Does the Congress party have a timeline for when the sugar factories will be set up?

Jeevan Reddy: The sugar factory was privatised by the then Telugu Desam Party and Bharatiya Janata Party in united Andhra Pradesh in 2001 and 2002; when Chandrababu Naidu was the chief minister and C Vidyasagar Rao was the Member of Parliament.

The 51 per cent shares of the sugar factory were sold by the then TDP-BJP government. Of course, after the formation of Telangana, everyone thought that sugar factories would be revived. It was believed that the privatised sugar factories would be taken over by the government again and would be run by the State government.

Unfortunately, K Kavitha who was elected from the Nizamabad Parliamentary constituency completely shut down the factories. It was totally closed in 2015.

Farmers were very angry with Kavitha and with the hope that Arvind Dharmapuri would do as promised, they voted him to power. They stood by him and they did not look at the political party to which he belonged. Farmers wanted the revival of the sugar factory and the setting up of the turmeric board.

Unfortunately, Arvind also walked on the same steps as Kavitha.

The Congress party in the recent Assembly elections of 2023 has promised the revival of the sugar factories. A sub-committee has been formed by the State government and an interim report on the re-opening of sugar factories has been given to them.

The date set for the re-opening of sugar factories is December 2025. All three sugar factories in Metpally, Bodhan and Mamboji Palle will be revived. The bankers’ dues, to be paid by 51 per cent of shareholders, the government has paid Rs 43 crores. This has been done in the course of re-opening the sugar factory. Within one and a half years, we are going to re-open the sugar factories.

NM: You were seen in a viral video slapping a woman when she said she was not going to vote for you. Why?

Jeevan Reddy: No, I have not slapped her. I was just giving her my blessings. The same lady later gave a clarification in a video to the people.

NM: Your candidature in Nizamabad was also declared late by the Congress party. It has also been found that there is polarisation of votes in Nizamabad. How are you dealing with that?

Jeevan Reddy: The BJP is trying to polarise but the people of Nizamabad are secular. They are wiser in their approach. Hindus and Muslims vote according to the policies of political parties and not on religion. Apparently, there is no such polarisation. With the region having a large number of farmers, what is important to people here for this Lok Sabha election is the agrarian crisis and the industries related to agriculture.