Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

‘Chalo Assembly’ protest by TDP, Left on Dec. 4

VIJAYAWADA: Seeking to mount pressure on the Government, the Telugu Desam Party, CPI and CPM parties decided to organise a ‘Chalo Assembly’ protest programme on December 4 demanding solutions to the farmers’ problems. These parties will participate in a dharna to be organised in the city on December 2 ahead of the State-level protest programme.

The Opposition parties’ leaders charged the Government with being ‘cruelly negligent’ to the plight of farmers despite the fact that there was heavy loss of crop and increasing debts. The leaders took objection to the casual attitude with which the Government was dealing with the damage suffered by the paddy farmers in the delta region in the wake of recent heavy rains.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, TDP MLA Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, CPI state leader K.Ramakrishna, CPM farmers’ leader Y. Kesava Rao and other leaders announced their future course of action for the ‘Chalo Assembly’ programme. They said that hundreds of farmers committed suicides in the past four and half years of the Congress party’s rule, but there were no visible efforts to provide any support from the Government side.

Mr. Umamaheswara Rao demanded that the Government come forward and help farmers by arranging for purchase of paddy from them. He said even discoloured paddy should be purchased at the centres to be opened by the Government’s agencies, particularly the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

CPI leader Ramakrishna said the Opposition parties would bring pressure on the Government to extend all possible support to farmers in their hour of need.

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