Drought-hit farmers of Rayalaseema stage ‘kavathu’

Left parties blame Central, State governments for plight of ryots in the region

Taking to streets: Farmers taking part in the ‘Karuvu rythu kavathu’ in Anantapur on Monday.

The ‘Karuvu rythu kavathu’ campaign, envisaged by the Left parties in support of the farming community, witnessed a massive turnout here on Monday. Raising slogans against the Central and State governments for their ‘indifference’ in addressing the issues of farmers in the Rayalaseema region, especially the drought-hit Anantapur district, participants took to the streets in the form of rallies, passing through major thoroughfares. They asserted that the campaign was a warning to both the governments.

Later, addressing the protesters at a public meeting, CPI State secretary K. Ramakrishna remarked that the farming community across the country have been organising a series of demonstrations in recent times, and opined that the ‘Karuvu rythu kavathu’ is a first-of-its-kind programme organised by the drought-hit farmers in Anantapur district.

Suicidal tendency

Recalling the recent statistics, Mr. Ramakrishna claimed that nearly 396 farmers committed suicide in the past four years and blamed the State government for it.

“The State government has done nothing except declaring the district as affected by drought. This has resulted in suicides, deaths due to hunger, migrations of farmers etc., and it is quite deplorable how the farming community is being treated,” he added.

Mr. Ramakrishna also said that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, instead of solving the issue, has resorted to false propaganda of addressing the drought. He further appealed to the farmers to refrain from taking the extreme step and assured them of help to fight for their rights.

‘No steps taken’

Echoing a similar opinion, CPI(M) State secretary P. Madhu remarked that Anantapur district, over the past decade, has been reeling under severe drought.

“It is a known fact that the district has remained one of the most backward regions of the State and received scanty rainfall. Despite it, no measures have been initiated to address the issue and irrigation projects, especially the Handri- Neeva works which are still incomplete, have remained on the back-burner. There is an immediate necessity to announce a special package to deal with the prevailing drought and also focus on the comprehensive development across the district,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, Jana Sena Party expressed solidarity with the protesters.