Vijayawada: The AP Legislative Council witnessed uproarious scenes as the ruling YSR Congress and the opposition Telugu Desam engaged in a heated exchange of words after TD MLCs tried to corner the YSRC government, saying it was ignoring the farm sector.
Chairman KM Raju allowed a short discussion on ‘Agriculture and Allied Sectors’. YSRC members Umareddy Venkateswarlu, Sivarama Reddy and others explained how their government developed the farm sector through a series of reforms including the launch of Rythu Bharosa Kendras. They also claimed their government was paying the arrears of the farm sector left unpaid by the previous TD government.
The YSRC members also claimed it was late chief minister YSR Reddy who launched the Jala Yagnam and completed nearly 70 per cent of the projects to help farmers take up cultivation of crops.
TD MLC Thirumala Naidu said the farming sector was badly affected during the YSRC rule of over three years. “The farm sector’s growth rate has come down to eight per cent while it was 11 per cent during TD rule, he said.
He criticised the present government for the “increase” in the number of farmer suicides and debts of farmers and belittled the ‘Nadu-Nedu’ programme.
Agriculture Minister Govardhan Reddy raised an objection, saying the YSRC members would not allow the TD member to mislead the house by making false statements. He blamed the TD for its failure to honour a promise on total waiver of farm loans. He wanted to set the records straight.
Minister for water resources Ambati Rambabu said the Telugu Desam was unfit to speak on the farm sector as it failed to fulfill the promises it made to the people in 2014.
TD MLCs led by Nara Lokesh raised objection to this, saying their members were not being given adequate time to discuss the issue. They argued with the chairman over his stands. Lokesh called minister Rambabu as ‘Mahanubavudu’ in a sarcastic manner.
In response, Rambabu said Chandrababu Naidu made a poll promise in 2014 to waive crop loans of the farmers to the order of Rs 87,000 crore. “When the election commission asked him how this could be done, Naidu replied that he was an economist and would handle it well.”
The minister alleged that the former CM had also promised women that their mortgaged gold ornaments would be released if they voted for TD party in the assembly elections and helped the party retain power.
