Alleging that cases of farmers and agricultural coolies ending their lives have gone up during the YSRCP’s tenure, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu held the State government responsible for this.
“As many as 1,779 farmers have resorted to the extreme steps during the last one and a half years. The anti-farmer policies of the YSCRP government is to blame for this,” said Mr. Naidu while addressing the TDP coordinators and in-charges of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies through video conference on Tuesday.
Mr. Naidu accused Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of betraying the farmers in the State after coming to power. “Mr. Jagan had made tall promises before the elections. The suicides of farmers and agricultural coolies have gone up by 55% during the YSRCP’s tenure,” said Mr. Naidu and called for ‘burning the anti-farmer G.O.s issued the State government in the Bhogi bonfires during the Sankranti celebrations.’
Discoloured paddy
Expressing concern that the farmers in the State had suffered heavy losses owing to the recurrent vagaries of nature, Mr. Naidu alleged that the farmers had not got either crop insurance or input subsidy.
“Dues of more than ₹2,700 crore pertaining to purchase of food grain by the government are pending. The paddy that was discoloured due to heavy rains was not purchased at the government centres. The middlemen are walking away with all the benefits. The farmers are being exploited badly,” said the TDP president.