YSR Congress Dharna On Nov 5 in AP: Jagan

YSR Congress will launch a State-wide dharna on November 5 to "protest against the indifference of the TDP government towards the cyclone-affected people and its failure to keep up the poll promise of waiving agriculture and DWACRA loans, besides the shoddy implementation of the pension scheme."

Announcing this after rounding off his 8-day tour of the Hudhud cyclone affected areas of north coastal Andhra, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy told the media here on Tuesday, "The TDP government has been found wanting on all counts - from carrying out relief and rehabilitation works in the cyclone-ravaged areas to delivering on its poll promise of waiving loans for farmers and DWACRA women's groups.

We have to strongly question the State government on its failures, and we will hold dharnas at all mandal headquarters demanding that the State provide relief and rehabilitation to the cyclone-affected people, besides waiving off the loans as promised of the farmers and women's groups, and shunning from slashing the pensioners' list."

The TDP government had miserably failed in providing relief to the cyclone-affected people as no official had visited several major parts that were wrecked by Hudhud and no enumeration work had been taken up. Instead, Chandrababu Naidu had been resorting to a publicity blitz while at ground zero nothing had been implemented, Jagan alleged.

Though he had promised 25 kgs rice in the cyclone-hit regions, many areas had been left out, and farmers had repeatedly fallen prey to calamities both natural and manmade, he said.

First, the loans were not waived off, and the farmers turned defaulters as they did not repay the loans believing that Naidu would waive off the loans after coming to power, Jagan said.

With this the farmers' eligibility for crop insurance too got erased, and the cyclone washed away their crops. With banks refusing to give fresh loans, most of the farmers had gone in for private borrowings, and were now totally wrecked, as the government had failed to secure any fresh loans and did not pay any compensation, he lamented.

Even for the 25% of crops that had escaped nature's fury, water had become scarce, and with the TDP government failing to provide power, the crops were most likely to die.

"If we continue to keep silent, the State will go on with its anti-people policies, and we have to launch a strong protest by picketing all Mandal Revenue Offices on November 5," he said. (INN)