CPI-M calls farmers’ protest rallies in AP from Aug. 1

AP State secretary of CPI-M P. Madhu has said the crop loan burden of the farmers in Andhra Pradesh was increasing heavily year after year.

Speaking to mediapersons at Vijayawada, the CPI-M leader said the Rs 19,000 crore additional crop loan burden has risen to Rs 65,000 crore in a gap of two years. While this was so, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who had proclaimed that he would waive crop loans of the farmers, has washed off his hands by waiving crop loans to the tune of just Rs 7,000 crore.

Opining that the financial burden on the AP farmers was increasing unbearably due to steep increase in the cost of farm inputs, the CPI-M leader alleged that the State government has miserably failed to procure credit facility to the farmers.

Demanding that the State government go to the rescue of distressed farmers, Madhu said his party would organize protest rallies by the farmers in the entire State for a fortnight from August 1 to 14. He also called upon the party activists to stage dharnas at Mandal Revenue Divisional Offices on August 14. (NSS)