Naidu slams Jagan govt's 'total indifference' towards farmers' issues; cites suicide data

TDP chief and former Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu while addressing party leaders in Machilipatnam Lok Sabha constituency on Wednesday hit out at CM YS Jagan Mogan Reddy-led government for its 'total indifference' towards farmer suicides in the state.

The TDP chief alleged the 'anti-farmer' policies of the Jagan Mohan Reddy government, citing around 1,029 farmers have committed suicide in the state. He said, "Andhra Pradesh ranked 3rd in the country in terms of suicides by farmers according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for the year 2019".

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Chandrababu Naidu slams Jagan Reddy for farmer suicides

Stating that Andhra Pradesh stands 2nd in suicides among tenant farmers, Naidu said that farmers and farmworkers who have died by suicide went up by 55 per cent. Quoting the NCRB data, he said that farmers are "desperate and depressed" because of the Chief Minister's regime. "Farmers are being targetted amid the overall fraudulent activities of the ruling party, " he added. 

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The TDP chief said, "YCP land grabbers and gangs were setting their sights on the lands of the farmers. When the YCP leaders talked about farmers' safety under the 'Bhuhakku-Bhuraksha', it was like the devil quoting the scriptures. What was the need to use costly granite stones for survey stones that would eventually sink into the ground? Moreover, a Tughlaqi decision was taken to sculpt Jagan Reddy photos on the survey stones. This was why the AP CM was being called Tughlaq 2.0."

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Calling upon party cadres to intensify agitation in support of farmers and agricultural workers, Naidu said that TDP leaders should stand by them and extend support. He also said that psychological support should be extended to the families of the farmers who committed suicide. The anti-farmer policies and land scams of the ruling YCP ministers and MLAs should be exposed to the public, he added. 

Claiming that Jagan Reddy regime had become unpopular due to false cases and arrests, Naidu said that the same people who gave a huge victory would give a rude blow to the CM who was acting strangely and unreasonably out of arrogance and ignorance. He also stated that in just 20 months,atrocities and misdeeds by the ruling party has reached a saturation point. People are terming the YCP regime as a 'diabolical rule' perpetrating 'jungle raj' on its people. "The TDP should hit back at the ruling party by creating awareness among the people about its atrocities and illegalities," Naidu added. 

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