Ravula resents Harish’s statements on farmers

TDP leader Ravula Chandrashekar Reddy has slammed Major Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao saying that the latter’s statements on farmers’ suicides were atrocious.

Speaking to mediapersons here on Saturday, Ravula said the TRS government was ridiculing the suicides of the farmers. He sarcastically said there was a need to conduct medical tests to ministers and ruling party legislators for their mental status instead of giving counseling to farmers on suicides.

The Ministers were striving to please the Chief Minister, he said and demanded that the government impose moratorium on farmers’ loans. “It is shame on the part of the government to describe Limbaiah’s suicide due to health problems”, he alleged. He also condemned the statement of Forest Minister Jogu Ramanna that the government would not pay ex gratia to the families of the farmers, who committed suicides.

The ministers were speaking as they wished and there was no link to each other on farmers’ issues, he alleged. He also alleged that Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy was speaking irresponsibly saying that only 409 farmers committed suicides as against 1,253 farmers’ suicides. He questioned the Revenue & Health officials as to what they were doing instead of informing about the suicides to the government. He asked the Chief Minister as to what steps the latter has taken up now to avoid suicides by the farmers in the State. (NSS)