Naidu asks ryots to topple government

On a mission:A woman showing damaged tobacco leaves to TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu at a public meeting held at Thakkellapadu in Guntur district on Saturday

SATTENAPALLI (GUNTUR DT.): Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu has exhorted farmers to topple the government if it continues to be ‘indifferent' to their plight.
The government should purchase huge stocks of paddy lying in farmers' houses and private warehouses for minimum support price, pay compensation for the crops damaged due to unseasonal rain late last year, and take other steps to make agriculture profitable. Otherwise, there is no point in allowing the government to stay in power.
“You have seen how people in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu voted corrupt regimes out of power. If your problems are not to be solved, you also should come on to the roads and dislodge the government, the TDP will support you,” Mr. Naidu asserted.
Addressing farmers at the agricultural market yard here during his one-day tour of the district on Saturday, Mr. Naidu said wherever he went farmers have the same sordid tales to narrate but the government was apparently more worried about its survival in the wake of the latest political developments.
Most of the farmers were burdened by debt and their woes were compounded by the bank's reluctance to extend fresh loans and waive interest. The loss incurred by them due to natural calamities was a major blow to their livelihood.
Renowned agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan suggested a slew of remedial measures but none of them had been implemented till date. The prices of farm inputs, mainly fertilizers, and labour charges increased steeply making it extremely difficult for farmers to meet the rising expenditure.
Land acquisition
Mr. Naidu took objection to acquisition of about 460 acres of agricultural land around Atmakur, Tadepalli, Penumaka and Vundavalli in Mangalagiri Assembly constituency by the VGTM-UDA for townships and other projects. Instead of sitting at home, farmers should revolt against the injustice, like what happened in Singur and Nandigram. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took up the cause of farmers in Greater Noida while the same atrocities were being committed in this Congress-ruled State, he observed. Training guns on the government, Mr. Naidu said Ministers were ‘playing musical chairs' to cling to power. Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy could do nothing significant for farmers' welfare except giving statements to the media. He had no time for governance as he was preoccupied with the Congress' battle with Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.
Both the parties spent huge sums for purchasing votes in the Kadapa by-elections. Sympathy and money power tilted the scales in favour of Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy and his mother in the by-elections, he alleged.
Narasaraopet MP Modugula Venugopala Reddy, Chilakaluripet MLA and district party president Pratthipati Pulla Rao, MLAs K. Sridhar, G.V. Anjaneyulu, Nakka Anand, former MP Lal Jan Basha, Umareddy Venkateswarulu, and Kodela Sivaprasada Rao were present.