Vijayawada: Highdrama unfolded at Andhra Ratna Bhavan here on Thursday after Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president YS Sharmila Reddy set out on a tractor to meet Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in Assembly over the plight of farmers. Police stopped her midway, leading to tense scenes.
Sharmila, who wore a garland of onions as a symbolic protest, declared that she would not call off her agitation until she was allowed to meet the Chief Minister. “Farmers in Andhra Pradesh are dying by suicide due to lack of remunerative prices. It is shameful that the state ranks third in the country for farmer suicides,” she said.
Slamming the government, the APCC chief alleged that the ruling coalition has abandoned farmers by scrapping subsidy schemes and failing to ensure fair prices. “Once Andhra was known as the land of prosperity under YSR’s golden era of farming. Today, there is no support for farmers. Chandrababu promised to make farmers kings, but now tomatoes are sold at Rs 2 a kilo and onions at Rs 50 a quintal,” she said.
Listing instances of failed support prices, Sharmila pointed out chillies promised at Rs 12,000 per quintal fetched not even Rs 6,000, jowar with an MSP of Rs 3,300 is selling for less than RS 2,000, tobacco farmers expect Rs 18,000 per quintal got less than Rs 3,000, Banana farmers promised Rs 30,000 per tonne received under Rs 15,000, onion farmers promised Rs 1,200 a quintal were left cheated, tomato farmers, assured Rs 8 per kg compensation, are forced to throw produce as prices crash to Rs 2.
She accused the government of failing to supply urea, adding, “If you claim urea causes cancer, does the liquor you supply not cause cancer? Where has the lakh tonnes of urea meant for AP gone?” She demanded justice for farmers and alleged that police blocking her from meeting the Chief Minister was “undemocratic.” “Congress will always stand with the people, but this government is silencing us,” she asserted.
