Farmers in Andhra Pradesh are the most neglected lot during the 32-month rule of the YSR Congress Party government with total budgetary allocations and spending falling drastically, and State government had not come to their rescue in the recent floods or drought, alleged Opposition leaders of four Rayalaseema districts and Nellore at a ‘Rythu Ranabheri’ programme organised by the Communist Party of India.
Heads of different political parties in the State vowed to come together to fight for the rights of the farmers and the support that is due from the State or Central government. They opposed the “anti-farmer” policies being pursued by the BJP-led Narendra Modi government and the .YS. Jagan Mohan Reddy government in the State, and demanded immediate purchase and transfer of money for their produce at Minimum Support Price.
At the ‘Ranabheri’ organised here on Thursday afternoon, Communist Party of India national secretary K. Narayana and TDP politburo member Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy criticised Mr. Jagan for regularly “betraying” the farmers and spending only 20% to 30% of the budgetary allocations for agriculture, irrigation, and not giving even 10% of the losses incurred by the farmers as input subsidy.
Giving figures of input subsidies given recently, CPI State secretary K. Ramakrishna said only ₹270 crore was given in these five districts, while the loss was colossal. “When someone died in a gas leak in Vizag, the government pays ₹1 crore to each victim, but for the 69 victims in Kadapa and Anantapur, only ₹5 lakh each has been announced,” he pointed out.
The leaders opposed the Centre’s proposed reduction of the height of the Polavaram Project from 150 feet to 135 feet as it would not serve the purpose. They wanted the Chief Minister to immediately take up the issue with the Prime Minister.
The TDP politburo member alleged that the agriculture department in the State had literally shut down and it was giving only Rythu Bharosa of ₹7,500 against a promised ₹13,000.
Mr. Chandramohan Reddy alleged that of the ₹18,000 crore allocated for 2019-20, only ₹6,000 crore was spent on agriculture, and ₹20,000 cr was allocated in 2020-21 of which only ₹7,000 crore was spent.
Congress State working president Tulasi Reddy expressed dismay at the neglect of the irrigation projects and no progress in any of them. He said the Congress government had spent thousands of crores and come to the rescue of farmers in the form of giving MSP or input subsidy, but now all the Rythu Bharosa Kendras had just turned into showpieces.
