Guntur, May 18: Enthused by the large turnout of farmers and legislators at his 48-hour deeksha on farmers’ issues, Kadapa MP-elect YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday was more aggressive in attacking the Kiran Kumar Reddy government for neglect of farmers.
“Kiran Kumar Reddy spends most of his time protecting his chair. If he spends at least 10 per cent of his time on farmers’ issues, the agricultural sector would not be in a mess as it is today,” he said before ending his deeksha.
Reddy pointed out that the only aim of the Congress government appeared to push him down to prevent his rise in public life. “They have nothing on their minds except the thought of undermining me and my cause,” the young leader from Kadapa said.
Describing the rule by his father as a golden era, he said people were also witness to the rule of Kiran Kumar Reddy and that of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu (he did not mention the tenure of K Rosaiah). “Compare how the three leaders had addressed the problems of farmers. YSR always cared for farmers and we will restore his model of governance again,” he said.
He said the present government in the state would not learn any lesson even if it was thrown hook, line and sinker into the Bay of Bengal.
Nonetheless, he was praying to God to give enough wisdom to both the Centre and the state to care for farmers who form the backbone of the state’s economy, he said.
On denial of MSP to farmers, Reddy wanted to know why the state was not able to implement the Punjab model whereby the state government buys the entire produce of farmers and then sells it to the FCI. The state government agencies there procured 94.2 per cent foodgrains from farmers.
That was how they procured 130 lakh tonnes.
The MSP for paddy, which used to be just Rs 530 a quintal, went up to Rs 1,000 during YSR’s rule. Agricultural growth in the state was 6.87 per cent as against a mere national average of 3 percent during the six-year rule of YSR, his son claimed.
–Agencies