Make MSP a right for farmers: Vijayasai Reddy

New Delhi: YSRCP Parliamentary Party leader V Vijayasai Reddy here on Saturday demanded that the minimum support price (MSP) be made an enforceable statutory right for farmers irrespective of who procures food grains from them, be it the government or private entities.

Voicing concern over the farmers' distress at the all-party meet called for by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, Vijayasai said a national farmers commission should be constituted on the lines of the National Commissions of BCs, SCs/STs.

He also demanded a national discussion on the desecration of temples and amendment to the laws to give harsher punishments to those who resort to the acts of up to 20 years of imprisonment. Referring to the incidents that had rocked the state in recent times, he alleged that CCTV evidence pointed to the involvement of the TDP leaders in the attacks on temples in AP. He said a zero-tolerance policy against desecration of religious places must be adopted by the country and Section 295 of IPC be amended to increase punishment from 2 to 20 years for the culprits.

Referring to the long-pending demand of Special Category Status for the state, the YSRCP Rajya Sabha member said considering the unique situation of Andhra, SCS must be given to it in this Budget session itself. It was important to do so considering the double-whammy of the pandemic and the inherent disadvantaged position of AP in comparison to other states. The 15th Finance Commission had left the mandate to decide on SCS to the Union government, he added.

He demanded interlinking of rivers as a national project and distribution of water between states on the basis of geographical area.

Vijayasai Reddy sought the shifting High Court of Andhra to Kurnool from Amaravati as part of the three capitals plans of the state government. The principal bench of the AP High Court must be moved to Kurnool, he said.

A separate railway zone for Andhra, a revised bill for 50 per cent reservation of women in legislative Assemblies, legislative councils, both houses of the Parliament and at all elected and nominated posts under the central and state governments and sufficient time to regional parties to speak in the Parliament were the other demands he made.

Stricter criminal procedure laws for rape convicts in terms of no-parole and no-furlough, national universities in Visakhapatnam were the other points he raised.