Parties plan farm stir

  • 25/06/2008

  • Deccan Chronicle (Hyderabad)

Anantapur, June 24: All-party committee leaders have decided to organise a Jail Bharo agitation and lay siege to the agriculture department joint director's office on June 26 in protest against the alleged negligence of the Congress government in solving farmers' problems. Speaking at a meeting organised at the CPI office here on Tuesday, leaders of the CPI, CPI(M), Mana Party, BJP and Telugu Desam (TD) said that farmers were facing problems due to shortage of fertilisers, seeds and diesel. They said that 10 lakh quintals of seed were required for planting over 25 lakh acres in the district and alleged that government had only supplied 5.5 lakh quintals of seed. They said that farmers were also facing problems due to shortage of fertilisers, and in running tractors for tilling land due to the shortage of diesel. They said that the government's promise of setting up a radar station in the district was not fulfilled even after four years, and reminded that the agriculture minister, Mr N. Raghuveera Reddy, had staged a hunger strike when in the Opposition for the radar station. They alleged that the government had failed to announce a minimum support price of Rs 1,000 per quintal for paddy. The CPI leaders, Messrs Jagdish, M.V. Ramana, Venkata Reddy, Katamaiah and Mallikarjuna, the CPI(M) leaders, Messrs Hanumantha Rayudu and Nagendra, the Mana Party leader, Mr Obaiah, the BJP Kisan Morcha leader, Mr Vemaiah, and the TD leader, Mr Ramakrishna, were present.