Vijayawada: YSR Congress president Y S
Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday staged a sit-in here to express support
for farmers of Andhra Pradesh and issues raised by them.
The Kadapa MP said the Government must look into the
issues like input subsidies raised by the farmers. He demanded
compensation for farmers who have declared crop holiday.
Farmers in some AP districts have refused to sow paddy
this kharif season to protest against a poor minimum support
price (MSP), difficulty in getting bank loans and to demand
input subsidies.
Jagan started his day-long dharna by paying tributes to
his late father, former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy,
by garlanding his statue kept on the dais.
He asked the State Government to allocate Rs 3,000 crore
to purchase paddy from farmers in the coming kharif season and
pay a Rs 300 bonus over MSP.
The YSR Congress chief demanded that nearly 25 lakh
tenant farmers in the state be provided bank loans to meet
their cultivation expenditure.
He alleged that the State`s Congress Government and the
party-led ruling coalition at the Centre have failed to
protect the interests of farmers.
The cost of agricultural inputs like fertiliser and seeds
has increased manifold but farmers are still unable to get the
MSP announced by the Union Government, he maintained.
Jagan concluded his sit-in after submitting a memorandum,
listing his demands, to the Revenue Divisional Officer,
Vijayawada.
Most of the Congress MLAs who have resigned in support of
Jagan were present on the occasion.
PTI
