BJP paid heavy price for betraying ryots

Vijayawada: The BJP government at the Centre had betrayed the farmers of the country particularly in the BJP-ruled States in North India and paid heavy price in the Assembly elections in three North Indian States, said farmer leaders.

The BJP suffered defeat in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, the two States which had been under the party rule for the last 15 years. Farmer leaders in Andhra Pradesh reacted on the results of the Assembly elections on Tuesday. They said that the election results should be an eye-opener to the political parties as the General Elections are due next year.

Former MP and veteran farmers’ leader Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao said the BJP government had betrayed the farmers on loan waiver and implementation of Swaminathan Commission recommendations. He said “Farmers in North Indian States are very angry with the betrayal of the BJP government at the Centre and voted against the party in the Assembly elections in 3 States,” he said.

He further said the BJP in 2014 elections assured the farmers that it would implement the Swaminatham Commission recommendations and later went back on it. Sobhanadreeswara Rao said the NDA government had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that it could not implement the recommendations.

He recalled that the farmers took out massive rallies in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and other States in North India opposing the anti-farmer policies of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He felt the Assembly election results are an eye opener to the political parties in India.

Andhra Pradesh Rytu Sangham State president Y Kesava Rao said recently farmers of four North Indian States suffered loss of Rs 1,000 crore due to the sale of pulses at low prices. He said the BJP government had betrayed the farmers on loan waiver as well as increasing support price.

He said the elections results in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh are a warning to the political parties and the governments. He said there was immense dissatisfaction among the peasants in North India over the negligent attitude of the BJP government towards the farmers.

He alleged that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was neglecting the problems being faced by farmers in the State and following the footsteps of Narendra Modi.

YSRCP farmers’ wing State president MVS Nagi Reddy said the TDP government was harassing the farmers by forcibly taking their lands and not issuing Pattadar Passbooks properly. He said farmers were unhappy under the TDP rule and felt the agriculture sector is in crisis due to poor rainfall and lack of support from the government.

He said the farmers voted against the BJP government in North Indian States because of its anti-farmers policies. Nagi Reddy said the TRS won the Assembly elections as the farmers of Telangana voted for the party as it was providing 24 hours power and financial assistance to cultivate crops.

He said political parties can’t win elections without the support of farming community and warned that the TDP government would pay heavy price for neglecting their problems.

He said the farmers are not happy with forcible land acquisition, slow progress of irrigation projects, land pooling and lack of adequate support price to their produce in the State.