Agriculture in crisis after Jagan became CM: TDP general secy Lokesh

Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh) [India], April 17 : Launching a scathing attack against the YSR government, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national general secretary, Nara Lokesh on Monday said that agriculture is in deep crisis after Jagan Mohan Reddy has become the Chief Minister.

"The State is now in third place in farmers' suicide and Jagan never reviewed insurance to the farming community," Lokesh said during an interaction with farmers at Venkatapuram of Alur Assembly segment in Kurnool district during his ongoing Yuva Galam pada yatra.

He also promised to bring down the expenditure on farming soon after the TDP comes to power.

Stating that stringent action will be initiated against those who are now selling spurious seeds, Lokesh said that the Vedavathi project will be completed with eight TMC feet capacity. Though the TDP did not win the Alur Assembly seat in 2014, the then chief minister, Chandrabbau Naidu, never neglected this area, he said.

Assuring the farmers that Minimum Support Price (MSP) will be provided for tomatoes, the TDP national general secretary said that Jagan, who promised Rythu Rajyam before coming to power, has now turned the State without any farming.

"Cotton farmers are the worst affected during the YSRCP rule," he said.

As Lokesh's Padayatra entered the Alur assembly segment, he was given a warm welcome by the party leaders, Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy, Kotla Sujathamma and Kotla Raghavendra Reddy besides scores of party activists.

Later, the villagers of Gudimiralla met Lokesh and submitted a memorandum to him in which they said that the farmers were not getting MSP for tomatoes and onions. Lokesh promised to pay the MSP once the TDP forms the government again.

The Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) leaders also met Lokesh and in a memorandum they submitted to him, the journalist union leaders demanded that accreditation be issued to all eligible scribes. They also wanted the health scheme and other facilities to be revived and house sites to be allotted to them.