Hyderabad: The Telugu Desam Party on Monday challenged the Government to substantiate the findings of the Ramachenna Reddy Commission on farmers' suicides that the erstwhile TDP regime was responsible for the plight of farmers.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, TDP MLAs led by E.Dayakar Rao and S. V. Subba Reddy said the reported observations of the commission were highly objectionable and go on to show that the Government had had its way in the matter.

CMO questioned

They questioned the claim of the Chief Minister's Office that the Congress Government was able to prevent suicides by taking effective measures. They sought to know the fate of the petition submitted to the Government by the Telugu Desam Party on the series of suicides by farmers since the Congress came to power. The TDP leaders said that they had petitioned the Government earlier with details of 2,932 suicides of farmers. The families of these farmers were yet to receive succour. Demanding an ex gratia of Rs.2 lakh to each of the victims' families, they demanded a fact finding mission to verify their claim.

The TDP Government during its nine-year rule could effectively implement proper market intervention methods and ensure minimum support price, which the present Government failed to do, they added.

CLP ridicules claim

Meanwhile, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) reiterated its charge against the TDP that its negative policies had adversely impacted the lives of farmers and asked the latter to accept the findings of the report gracefully without trying to politicise it.

Recalling the findings of the Jayati Ghosh Committee and the report of National Human Rights Commission in the past, the Government Chief Whip, N.Kiran Kumar Reddy, said the TDP should stop slinging mud on everyone.

The commission had only given its findings truthfully and the reasons for the TDP anger with it were obvious.

He said even the former Union Home Minister, L.K.Advani, had stated in Parliament that three out of four farmers who committed suicide were from Andhra Pradesh.

The Centre for Economic and Social Studies Forum had observed that the agriculture sector had taken a beating under the TDP rule.

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