A farmers’ delegation, led by members of the Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi JAC met Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi on Tuesday with an appeal to urge the Centre to look into their problems.
In a memorandum, the farmers explained the Vice-President about the prevailing conditions in the State, their concerns on the proposed shifting of the Capital to Visakhapatnam and the “indifference” of the YSRCP government to their woes, said R.V. Swamy, a JAC member.
‘Autocratic behaviour’
Nanda Kishore, another JAC member, said the team had apprised the Vice-President of the “autocratic behaviour of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has not bothered to speak to the protesting farmers so far.”
He said that Mr. Venkaiah Naidu had assured the delegation that he would hand over their memorandum to the persons concerned in the government.
The farmers told him that they were agitated because they had given their lands for construction of a Capital at Amaravati, and now, when they tried to question the Chief Minister’s move to shift it out of the place, they were being subjected to police high-handedness. Cases were being framed against us for staging peaceful protests, they alleged.
‘Police ill-treatment’
They said that Mr. Venkaiah Naidu had accepted the photographs and videos submitted to him as proof of their “ill-treatment” by the police.
They also drew the Vice-President’s attention to the key aspects of the A.P. Reorganisation Act, 2014, and the fact that the Centre had allocated funds of ₹2,500 crore for Capital construction. Besides, the State had generated nearly ₹2,000 crore through the Amaravati Bonds. A total of ₹9,500 crore had been spent in the capital region by the government so far, and shifting it now would defeat the purpose of the whole exercise, they said.
Accusing the State government of unleashing anarchy in the State, they said the ruling party leaders were now resorting to “caste politics” to mislead people on the capital issue.
“It is a misconception that people of one particular caste dominate the capital region. In fact, farmers belonging to the Scheduled Castes outnumber others in these villages. We have lost the lives of 12 SC farmers for the cause of Amaravati so far,” said a farmer.
The delegation sought the appointment of the Prime Minister and the President too.
