Amaravati: YSRCP lashes out at Naidu over Rythu Kosam protest

Amaravati: YSRCP has come down heavily on TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu for launching a State-wide protest with the slogan 'Rythu Kosam Telugu Desam' and said it was Naidu who has abandoned, cheated farmers and implemented anti-farmer policies during his regime while Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is committed for farmers' welfare.

Speaking to the media at the party's Central Office here on Wednesday, Agriculture Mission vice-chairman MVS Nagi Reddy termed Chandrababu Naidu fighting for welfare of farmers as 'joke of the century'.

He listed out the degrading comments made by Naidu on farmers related to their suicides, free electricity and irrigation projects and said he didn't start a single irrigation project during his nine year tenure between 1996 -2004 and added that he didn't even oppose increasing the height of Almatti dam ignoring the interests of farmers.

He said the previous government has declared 238 mandals in 2014, 359 mandals in 2015, 301 mandals in 2016, 121 mandals in 2017, 347 mandals in kharif 2018 and 227 mandlas in Rabi 2018 as drought-hit mandals while there was no single drought hit mandal in last three years.

He compared the production of food grains and pulses with that of previous government and said the production has increased during the last three years and questioned the significance of TDP's protests in this regard.

He said the Chief Minister has cleared the pending arrears of Rs 8,750 crore of previous government regarding free power to farmers.