HYDERABAD: Minister for cooperation Kasu Venkata Krishna Reddy, miffed by farmers’ rude behaviour with him, left a farmers’ convention here yesterday abruptly.
The unsavoury incident took place at the two-day National Farmers Conference organised by Consortium of Indian Farmers Associations (CIFA) held at FAPCCI Bhavan.
When the turn of the minister came to speak, farmers were eagerly waiting to hear him on the steps taken or being taken by the state government for their welfare, the new agricultural policy and other things but flew into a rage hearing him speak irrelevant things. Reddy began his speech recalling the situation that existed 50 years ago and explaining the roles played by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and his uncle-chief minister Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, the Nagarjunasagar project and other matters.
As he was concluding his speech, some 50 to 60 angry farmers from different districts stood up and started shouting at the minister. “We have not come here to hear the history. Lakhs of farmers in the state are facing serious problems because of lack of support from the state government. Several have committed suicide as the government failed to come to their rescue. The government also failed to rescue the families of those who committed suicide,’’ shouted Ravinder Reddy and some other farmers from Medak district at the top of their voice.
Other farmers stood up in support of their colleagues and started raising slogans accusing the state government of failure to mitigate farmers’ sufferings and to protect the lives of poor farmers.“When we are facing big problems and the government is least bothered to come to our rescue, we cannot appreciate your pontification and meaningless speeches,’’ they said.
In a bid to pacify the angry farmers, the minister got down from the dais and went near them to calm them but he had to face embarrassment as some farmers asked him to leave the hall.
There was commotion for nearly 20 minutes and the minister left the meeting abruptly after assuring them that he would take up their problems with the chief minister.
Praja Rajyam president and legislator K Chiranjeevi, who was present at the conference, remained a silent spectator. Later, Chiranjeevi said the farmers had acted they way they did because of severe heart-burn.
The government failed to solve the problems of farmers who solely depended on governmental support, he said.