Praja Sankalpa Yatra Diary, Day 112: Jobs Dry Up, Liquor Flows Under Chandrababu Rule

Ponnuru, Guntur district: Today, my padayatra crossed the historic milestone of 1,500 kms. Along every step of the way, people showered tremendous love and affection on me and greeted me with warmth in every alley, street, colony and along the long, winding road, cutting through the state on which I have been for about four months. The masses walked with me in the thousands, to express their solidarity. The faith they have in me, the confidence they repose in me, inspires me and is my strength. I feel that with people walking with me and standing by me, I can walk for thousands of miles drawing inspiration from their cheerful faces, despite all the hardships they face.

This morning, farmers from Thottempudi village came to me and narrated their problems. “Anna, last year we sowed black gram (minumu), but lost the entire crop. Therefore, this year, for our second cycle, we turned to corn (mokkajonna) and sorghum (jonna) as our crop, but the government is not releasing water into the canals. Our plan to go in for borewells has come a cropper because new electricity connections are not being sanctioned. The worst aspect of it all is that when we try to sell our produce in the market, the entire buying process is controlled by Janmabhoomi committee members. Unless we approach them and get our sale processed through them through their recommendations, it does not go through and gets rejected. Left with no other alternative, we are forced to sell our harvest to middlemen. The ruling party workers have themselves turned into middlemen and what’s worse is that the government officials are hand in glove with them. Anna, where do we go now?” When they expressed their anguish to me in these words, I felt deeply pained. How can the ruling party leadership itself patronise a system run by middlemen which exploits farmers? Who will the farmers turn to in such difficult conditions? This is again a classic case of the fence eating the crop.

Read: YS Jagan’s Praja Sankalpa Yatra Touches 1500 KM Milestone

Bhavannarayana of Mulukuduru had a poignant tale to narrate. This unemployed young toddy worker had completed his degree, but was forced to take up the traditional occupation of his forefathers. He took part in softball competitions at the national level. He had to become a toddy worker after all his efforts to find gainful employment failed. He did not get any unemployment allowance either. He complained that not only was he jobless, but that he was not given a toddy license. I wonder what happened to Chandrababu Naidu’s tall claims about investments and millions of jobs! Wherever I have been, I only hear tales of pervasive unemployment.

Vijayamma, Shyamala and Navaneetham of Chandurupalli came to meet me. They told me how liquor was ruining their lives. “Anna, we are poor Dalits and all day in the scorching heat, we work as labourers. Men have taken to drinking thanks to belt shops everywhere. Whatever little we earn is snatched away by them. They go to belt shops which have mushroomed across villages. They come home drunk and create a big scene day after day. Our children cannot study because of the environment they find themselves in. These men do not even spare a thought for the children. Please do something to ensure that these belt shops are closed.” Liquor is destroying the social fabric of villages. How can the government turn it into a major source of revenue in such circumstances? Can’t this government see the suffering of these poor women and their families?

I have a question for the chief minister— you made very tall claims about the progress made by Andhra Pradesh in agriculture and other sectors. Is it not true that development figures have declined year after year in the four years of TDP rule? Are you not responsible for the crisis the farmer finds himself in? The middlemen system makes it difficult for farmers to sell their harvest and puts them at a great loss. Is it not true that this middlemen network has flourished under your rule? Who do you think you can fool by putting out false figures of development?