VIJAYAWADA: State president and Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao has launched a sharp attack on former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing him of systematically betraying the farming community while posturing as their saviour.
“The stance adopted by Jagan and his coterie was never intended for the welfare of farmers. His governance has been one of deception, cloaked in crocodile tears,” Srinivasa Rao charged in a release issued on Tuesday. He pointed out that AP stood second in the country in terms of tenant farmers’ suicides, which, he said, was a grim testament to the ruinous impact of the YSRCP government’s policies.
“Jagan’s eyes were never on the plight of farmers but on nurturing mafias. Whether it is the sand mafia or the liquor mafia, he has extended patronage to vested interests while turning a blind eye to the farmer’s distress. The recent agitation is yet another drama to divert public attention from the toxic liquor scandal that claimed thousands of lives. But farmers will never forget this betrayal,” he remarked.
Detailing the coalition government’s initiatives, Srinivasa Rao said, “In this Kharif season alone, we have supplied 7 lakh tonnes of urea, 1 lakh tonnes more than during Jagan’s tenure. Under ‘Rythu Bharosa’, Jagan gave farmers just Rs 7,500, whereas, through ‘Annadata Sukhibhava’, extended Rs 14,000.”