Krishna dist, May 14: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has decided to stage a rasta roko on national highways across the state on May 19, demanding minimum support price for paddy farmers, said the party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu.
Addressing farmers at Veeravalli, Hanuman Junction and Nuzvid during his visit to Krishna district on Friday, he said rice millers were cheating the paddy farmers by offering lower price for their produce on the pretext of high moisture content and ryots were getting a mere Rs 60 per paddy bag.
The TDP chief said paddy farmers in the state were thrown into debt trap due to the indifferent and anti-farmer policies of the Union and state governments.
He expressed surprise over Centre’s negligent attitude towards farmers, while it was offering good support price for wheat and granted permission for export of Basmati rice in other states.
He demanded that the Union must grant permission to export BPT rice in Andhra Pradesh which would fetch good returns to farmers.
Chandrababu also criticised chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy for not visiting the villages to know the plight of farmers.
Farmers, who suffered heavy loss in Kharif last year, have no alternative except to stage protest until the government comes to protect their interests, he said.
‘Money, Liquor Won in Kadapa’
HANUMAN JUNCTION (Krishna dist): TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu said money and liquor played the trick in Kadapa and Pulivendula byelections.
Reacting over the whopping win of YSR Congress Party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy and his mother mother Vijayalakshmi in Kadapa and Pulivendula bypolls, Chandrababu said it was the misuse public money which led Jagan and his mother to win the bypolls.
–Agencies