VIJAYAWADA: Alleging that the TDP government was enforcing anti-farmer policies resulting in hardships to the farming community, YSRC chief and opposition party leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy said it was unfortunate that crops being cultivated even in delta area were withering due to the negligence of the government.
As part of his visit to Krishna district on Monday, Jagan inspected the crops and interacted with farmers of Bommuluru village in Gannavaram constituency.
After the farmers complained that lack water coupled with declining prices of their produce were the main points of concern, Jagan launched a broadside against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
"Naidu will take flights from Gannavaram Airport, but fails to see the plight of the farmers of the region,"the YSRC chief said.
Alleging that crops were withering due to lack of water for irrigation, he sought to know what the Irrigation Minister was doing when farmers in his own district faced problems due to lack of water.
“Due to the nonavailability of irrigation water, farming happens only on 1000 acres against the normal cultivation area of 18,000 acres in Gannavaram mandal,” he said and said the government was responsible for such a situation.
He said that as the Telugu Desam chief did not release funds for completion of Pulichintala project, water could not be stored to the full storage level and the same resulted in withering of crops even in the multi-crop lands in the capital region.
Not just in uplands but cracks developed in lands even in delta region due to the apathy of the government, he said and added that there was no initiative from the government even though price of blackgram fallen to Rs 6,000 from Rs 12,000. The government creating problems to farmers with giving them input subsidy,he said.
However, refuting the allegations of the YSRC chief, Gannavaram MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan said that Jagan just was making a show with some hired farmers.
The government was extending all cooperation to farmers and giving priority for completion of irrigation projects, he said and wanted the YSRC to desist from giving such statements against the government.