Chandrababu Govt. Neglected Farmers Completely: YS Jagan

Leader of the Opposition in Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly and YSRCP President, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed anguish at the fact that in four years of Chandrababu Naidu's rule, farmers were clearly unhappy.

Addressing farmers at Timmapalem in Kondepi constituency of Prakasam district during the Praja Sankalpa Yatra on Tuesday, YS Jagan accused the TDP regime of neglecting women, youth, farmers and the unemployed. Along every step of the Padayatra, farmers pored out their woes to him, he said.

YS Jagan pointed out that it was to learn more about their day-to-day problems that an interactive farmers' meeting was being held here today, the 93d day of his walkathon. "No farmer appeared happy in these four years", he said. The YSRCP chief said that Chandrababu's fraudulent election promises hardly need any repetition. He cheated all segments of society--women, farmers, students and unemployed youth, YS Jagan pointed out. Chandrababu Naidu went back on his promise to waive crop loans, he asserted. The YSRCP President added that the token loan waiver Chandrababu offered did not even cover the interest amount on loans.

YS Jagan observed that governments in the past had offered interest-free loans to farmers, mainly because the government at that time came forward to bear the expenditure incurred on interest amounts. In contrast, the TDP government stopped paying interest amounts to banks, which in turn, stopped advancing loans. The farmers did not get the minimum price for tobacco or a variety of pulses which they grew in this area.

YS Jagan pointed that while the farmer got no returns for toiling in the scorching sun. Chandrababu had turned into a champion of middlemen, he said. Tobacco farmers were among those who suffered the most, the YSRCP Chief remarked. YS Jagan said that while a kilo of tobacco fetched Rs. 120 during the reign of former Chief Minister, the late Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy, it now fetched Rs. 116, ten years later! The TDP government was clearly avoiding input subsidy and for this reason did not take drought-hit mandals of the rabi crop into account, he pointed out.

YS Jagan stated that it was keeping all these factors in mind that farmers were accorded priority in Navarathnalu. He listed out a few highlights:

• Free power supply to farmers for nine hours.
• Interest-free loans to farmers
• Rs. 12, 500 to be given to farmers every May in view of upcoming agricultural activity.
• Free borewells to farmers.
• Farmers' Consolidation Fund of Rs. 3000 cr to be established. Cold storage units in all mandals, food processing units in all constituencies and strengthening the cooperative dairy network.

The YSRCP Chief said that once the people's government came to power and Rajanna Rajyam was ushered in, a social transformation will be brought about.