Guntur: Police arrest agitating BJP leaders

Guntur: BJP Kisan Morcha leaders tried to lay siege to the Agriculture Commissioner’s office at Chuttugunta here on Tuesday and demanded the government to declare all the mandals affected by drought as drought-hit mandals and solve the problems of the farmers.

They demanded stern action against traders selling spurious seeds, fertilisers and pesticides. While they were trying to go into the Agriculture commissioner’s office, the police officials prevented them.

The morcha leaders sat before the Agriculture Commissioner’s office and raised slogans against the YSRCP government.

The police forcefully shifted the morcha state president Kumara Swamy, state vice-president V Panduranga Vithal, BJP district president and another 20 leaders to Nallapadu Police Station.

Earlier, addressing the gathering Kumara Swamy said that the government has failed to declare all the drought hit mandals as drought mandals, and check sale of spurious seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.

He said due to the failure of the government the farmers are facing problems. He demanded the resignation of Minister for Agriculture Kakani Govardhan Reddy and Minister for Water Resources Ambati Rambabu immediately for their failure to solve the problems of the farmers. He found fault with the YSRCP government for using the police force to suppress the agitations of the farmers and warned that voters will teach a lesson to the government in the coming elections.

BJP Kisan Morcha state general secretaries Surendranath Reddy, Pakalapati Ravi Raju, state secretary Govindrara Rao, zonal in-charge Sairama and Ramesh were present.