BJP State president Somu Veerraju on Thursday blamed the State government for the problems being faced by the farming community, especially in the dry belt of Rayalaseema.
Expressing solidarity with the demonstration staged by the party’s Kisan Morcha at the Collectorate here on Thursday, Mr. Veerraju demanded that the State government immediately supply micro-irrigation equipment and drip pipes to the farmers.
“Rayalaseema is known to register the lowest rainfall in the country after the State of Rajasthan. The previous TDP government at least supplied drip irrigation equipment and defaulted to the tune of ₹900 crore, but the present government has thoroughly let down the farmers by stopping all forms of support,” Mr. Veerraju fumed. He recalled that the BJP-led Union government, after coming to power, had spent ₹10,000 crore on agricultural support and ₹13,000 crore on providing farm mechanisation to such districts with low rainfall.
Though 2,500 farmers in Kadapa district alone had sought drip support and even paid money through demand drafts last year, the government had not come forward to support them, he alleged. “Agriculture became defunct with the administrators neither calling for tenders, nor disbursing the drip equipment,” Mr. Veerraju alleged.
He also demanded the opening of the State-run sugar factory and dairy that had remained closed in the district. Party leaders Singareddy Ramachandra Reddy, Ramesh Naidu, Balakrishna Yadav, and Lakshmi Narayana Reddy took part.
