Jagan betrayed farmers, says TDP State president

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) State president and Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao has launched a sharp attack on former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing him of systematically betraying the farming community while posturing himself as their saviour.

“The stance adopted by Mr. Jagan and his coterie was never intended for the welfare of farmers. His governance has been one of deception, cloaked in crocodile tears,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao alleged. He citied alarming statistics and said that Andhra Pradesh ranked second in the country in tenant farmer suicides, a grim testament to the ruinous impact of the YSRCP government’s policies.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao further alleged that be it the sand mafia or the liquor mafia, Mr. Jagan has extended patronage to vested interests while ignoring the distress of farmers. He dismissed the recent agitation as yet another drama to divert public attention from the toxic liquor scandal that claimed thousands of lives.

Detailing the coalition government’s initiatives, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that during the current kharif season alone, seven lakh tonnes of urea was supplied, one lakh tonnes more than during Jagan’s tenure. He further added that under the ‘Rythu Bharosa’, Jagan gave farmers just ₹7,500, whereas Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, through ‘Annadata Sukhibhava’, extended ₹14,000.

He highlighted that the coalition government had set a new record in paddy procurement. While the previous government only procured 42 lakh tonnes of paddy, leaving arrears of ₹1,674 crore, the alliance government has, within just three months, procured 68 lakh tonnes and credited ₹18,000 crore into farmers’ accounts within 24 hours.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao also accused the YSRCP government of dismantling every support system meant for farmers from input subsidies and drip irrigation schemes to concessional loans. He claimed that Mr. Naidu had extended 90% subsidy on drip irrigation, which Mr. Jagan cancelled along with the quarter-interest loan scheme, pushing farmers deeper into debt.