The Telugu Desam Party Telangana State unit has demanded that the government clarify its stand on the problems being faced by farmers, chilli farmers in particular, and announce a comprehensive action plan to mitigate their sufferings on account of not getting minimum support price for their produce.
TDP polit bureau member Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy alleged at a press conference here that the government remained indifferent to the hardships faced by the farmers as was evident from the fact that not a single Minister visited the market yards where farmers were burning their produce after they failed to get a minimum price. The government’s double standards over the farmers’ issues was evident from the manner in which it had changed its stand over the incidents that took place in Khammam market yard leading to the arrest of farmers.
The government, which initially claimed that vested interests infiltrated into the market in the name of farmers, subsequently changed its version on knowing that farmers affiliated to the ruling party too were arrested. He wondered how Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao sought the help of poets and writers in popularising the government’s schemes at a time when farmers, students and other sections had been left out.
The government’s efforts to ensure publicity to its programmes was aimed at covering up its failures in addressing the concerns of the people. “Farmers had been handcuffed in violation of the directions given by the Supreme Court and the government has stifled the voice of media. Writers and poets should keep in mind the travails of these sections and ensure that they are reflected in their work,” he said.
