Jagan Betrayed Farmers, Chandrababu Standing by Them: Palla

Vijayawada: Telugu Desam AP state president Palla Srinivasa Rao, MLA from Gajuwaka, accused former chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of systematically betraying the farming community while posing as their saviour. He pointed out that Andhra Pradesh stood second in the country in terms of suicides by tenant farmers during the YSRC rule.

Srinivasa Rao said the Rythu Poru agitation by YSRC on Tuesday is yet another drama to divert public attention from the toxic liquor scandal that claimed thousands of lives.

Detailing the coalition government’s initiatives, the AP TD president said during the current Kharif season alone, the state government has supplied seven lakh tonnes of urea, one lakh tonnes more than during Jagan’s entire tenure. Under Rythu Bharosa, Jagan gave farmers just ₹7,500, whereas Chandrababu Naidu, through Annadata Sukhibhava, is extending ₹14,000. “Farmers themselves can answer who truly stands by farmers and who has betrayed them,” he maintained.

Srinivasa Rao underscored that the coalition government had set a new record in paddy procurement. “During Jagan’s regime, only 42 lakh tonnes of paddy had been purchased, leaving arrears of ₹1,674 crore. In contrast, our government has, within just three months, procured 68 lakh tonnes and credited ₹18,000 crore into farmers’ accounts within 24 hours. That is the true measure of commitment,” he asserted.

AP TD president accused the YSRC government of dismantling every support system meant for farmers, from input subsidies and drip irrigation schemes to concessional loans. “Naidu had extended a 90 per cent subsidy on drip irrigation. Jagan cancelled it. The former CM discontinued the quarter-interest loan scheme, pushing farmers into deeper debt. Chandrababu has spent ₹71,000 crore on irrigation projects between 2014 and 2019, Jagan allocated barely ₹30,000 crore and failed to initiate a single new project,” he pointed out.