Special budget, free electricity for farmers: Jagan

Kadapa, YSR Congress Party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was unanimously elected as the party's president on Sunday for the second time at YSRCP's second plenary meet in Idupulapaya, Kadapa.

Announcing steps which would be taken to safeguard farmers' interests, Jagan said that a YSR Congress government would create two ministries for agriculture and also introduce a "special budget".

He said that these ministries would take care of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides and also deal with matters like interest-free loans and an increase in the grant of free electricity.

Jagan promised to shut down all illegal liquor outlets to protect poor families, particularly women. He announced free corporate medical care to poor families up to the block level. Jagan also harped on the completion of all irrigation projects conceived by his father under Jalayagnam scheme providing irrigation facility to every acre of parched land in the state as well as providing roads and other infrastructure facilities to every nook and corner. Obviously, those who drafted his manifesto did not take into account their financial implications.

His government would also create a corpus of Rs 3,000 crore to stabilise the prices of agro products, Reddy said. Reddy, meanwhile, criticised UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy while also hitting out at Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo Chandrababu Naidu.

He alleged that the AP CM had played a role in bifurcating the state as per guidance from the All India Congress Committee.

Senior YSR Congress functionary Gattu Ramachandra Rao came down heavily on Telangana Rashtra Samiti, saying it was a party for "election, collection and construction".