TDP Backed Middlemen Destroying Farmers’ Lives

Veeravaram, East Godavari District: Today, my padayatra passed through Ramavaram, Goneda and Ramachandrapuram in Jaggampet mandal. I was able to witness the cheap politics of the ruling TDP who have been misleading people by uttering false promises. They once again brought alive the strategy of ‘six months before elections’. This was evident when Kammari Chandra and Ungarala Appa Rao met me today. Chandra came to the camp carrying her handicapped six-year-old daughter and said they immensely respect Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s family.

She said that she had met my sister Sharmila during her padayatra in Jaggampet and it was during that time she had named her daughter Sharmila. holding her daughter whose both legs are crippled, she pleaded, “Please help us get pension at least during your rule.” She has been trying to take a certificate and get money for her daughter over the last four and half years but in vain. Both the politicians and government officials are least bothered about the plight. “Now that the elections are nearing, people are coming to help me secure a certificate and pension. I don’t trust their words anna,” she said.

Similar story is that of Ungarala Appa Rao whom I met at Ramavaram. He said when he suffered a serious backbone ailment, my father’s Arogya Sri had helped him immensely. Though his life was saved, he has become dysfunctional as he is unable to walk nor can his hands move freely. He has a certificate which says he is 80 per cent handicap and he has been cahsing political leaders and government officials for the past four and half years. Yet, he hasn’t been able to get pension. But for the last two months he was getting his pension, he said.

Pointing to the yellow politics, Appa Rao said, “Anna, I have been requesting for the last four and half years for a house and loan. They did not bother. Today, the pension has been disbursed to me because of the impending elections.” This is Chandrababu’s ‘six months before the elections’ strategy. From the day he took charge, the sole aim of Chandrababu was to loot public money, without bothering to fulfill promises made or do any good for the people in the state. With the elections approaching, Chandrababu has now started showing his insidious love for people.

The District Oil Palm Farmers Association representatives met me and explained told me about the way they were betrayed. Oil Fed organization should decide the oil price based on oil recovery. But the Oil fed officials and private companies have joined hands to tell people that oil recovery rate was low. The association representatives were surprised that Telangana showed 18.43% of oil recovery while in AP it was just 16.40%. This was leading to a loss of Rs 1000 per tonne oil. Though they had approached the government about this deceitful ways pf the officials, they were not concerned because they were getting their commission regularly. Around three lakh hectares of land in the country is used for palm oil farming and out of this more than half of it belongs to our state.

Because of this betrayal by government officials, Oil Fed and private companies, farmers lose Rs 8000-10,000 per acre. The government which had to lend a helping hand was not only cheating people but also supporting those resorting to misdeeds. Sugarcane farmers who met at noon too had something similar to tell.

They do not get minimum support price for their produce. The middlemen in the market were destroying their lives leaving the farmers in debts and tears.

I have a question for the chief minister – Your manifesto claimed to uplift the lives of people who were dependent on farming sector, then how come jaggery which was fetching Rs 6000 during my father late Dr YSR’s period is now just Rs 3,200? What is the secret behind our state palm oil farmers getting Rs 1000 less than Telangana farmers? Is this what you call uplift the lives of farmers? Isn't it because of you and your governance that farmers from across the state have been subject to all kinds of problems?