Don’t make Polavaram project a political issue, says Jayaprakash Narayan to Centre and Andhra Pradesh government

VIJAYAWADA: Lok Satta founder Jayaprakash Narayan on Monday stressed the need to treat the Polavaram multi-purpose irrigation project as a non-political issue.Speaking at his two-day Swaraj Yatra that began in Krishna district, he urged the Union and the State governments to resolve their differences over Polavaram project as it is essential to complete the project by 2019.He observed that crisis in the farming sector is man-made. The government should evolve steps to provide Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the farmers’ produce and increase investments in agriculture without considering profits and losses, he said.

Contemplating over the announcements like providing employment allowance until 45 years and extending social pensions to those crossing 45 years by the ruling and opposition parties, Narayan said that he could not understand where they want to take the State. “How can the State government provide 5 per cent reservation to the Kapu community without considering the report drafted by  BC Welfare Commission chairman K L Manjunath?” he questioned.

The Lok Satta leader also pointed out that indiscriminate import policies and unscientific fixation of minimum support price were the reasons for the crisis in the agriculture sector. “During my interaction, Guntur farmers said they were suffering not because of bad crop but owing to a bumper crop. The MSP is very low and this hits the farmers,” he said.

Disclosing details of the Swaraj Yatra, he said a public meeting would be held at Machilipatnam on December 12. “On December 14,  a delegation will meet Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to give suggestions on various issues like agriculture, health, education, trade, industrialisation and women safety,’’ said Jayaprakash Narayan.