Farmers under the aegis of the Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangam staged a dharna in front of the Prakasam Bhavan here on Monday, demanding a blanket waiver of all loans taken by them as promised by the ruling Telugu Desam Party on the eve of general elections.
Leading the protest, APRS State vice-president P. Narasimha Rao said that it was unfortunate that the TDP’s alliance partner BJP which shared power both at the Centre and in the State, had shirked the responsibility saying that it was the TDP which had made promise.
He found fault with the State government for forcing peasants to part with their land on the pretext of construction of capital and its efforts to barter away their precious land to realtors. A majority of small and marginal farmers in the district were declared ineligible under the loan waiver scheme, said APRS district president Pamidi Venkat Rao.
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The position of tenant farmers was still worse, with only 500 of the total 6,000 farmers who had availed loans from banks, declared eligible for loan waiver, added APRS district secretary D.Gopinath.
Anantapur Staff Reporter adds: Meanwhile, farmers’ unions leaders blocked the entrance of the Collectorate, seeking implementation of loan waiver scheme and issuing of fresh loans. They were arrested by the police.