Govt Abandoned Farmers In Darkest Hour: YRSC

Vijayawada: Ponnur Assembly constituency YSRC in-charge Ambati Murali Krishna on Friday accused the state government of neglecting the farmers who have been devastated by heavy rains across the Guntur district. He alleged that despite having three state ministers and one Union minister from the region, no relief had reached farmers whose crops were submerged due to heavy rains. He pointed out that floodwater diverted from the capital region inundated Namburu overnight, causing severe damage to crops across thousands of acres in eight constituencies. Murali Krishna criticised ministers Nara Lokesh, Nadendla Manohar, Anagani Satya Prasad, and Union minister Dr. Pemmasani Chandrasekhar for failing to address the crisis. “The government, which often speaks about agriculture, has abandoned farmers in their darkest hour,” he said, adding that even on Independence Day, CM N. Chandrababu Naidu ignored farmers’ issues and instead focused on liquor policy. He further accused the government of neglecting irrigation infrastructure, citing the 47-km Nallamada canal, which remains clogged as officials resorted to spraying weedkiller instead of clearing it. He also levelled allegations of corruption and extortion, claiming that contractors were being forced to pay hefty bribes, with some abandoning projects. Ambati alleged that ruling party MLA Dhulipalla Narendra’s pressure tactics had driven a national highway contractor to abscond after being unable to pay a ₹5 crore bribe. Beyond the infamous ‘Red Book,’ the government is now running a ‘Money Book, allegedly extracting nearly ₹3,000 crore through extortion, he alleged.