Jagan pays rich tributes to YSR

Idupulapaya (Kadapa): YSRCP chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy paid homage to his father and former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy on his seventh death anniversary observed by the YSRCP here on Friday.

Jagan was accompanied by his mother Viayamma and other family members, who took part in the special prayers organised on the occasion.Later, he participated in a plantation drive taken up by the YSRCP at Pulivendula. He followed it up with a visit to Yerripalle village where inspected groundnut crop.

Speaking on the occasion, he demanded that a compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre to the groundnut farmers. “Groundnut crop, which was cultivated in about 70,000 hectares, did not grow even after 70 days due to supply of substandard and spurious seeds. The prolonged dry spell and lack of proper irrigation facilities caused further damage to the crop.

Consequently, groundnut farmers incurred heavy losses. The number of rain guns supplied to each mandal was inadequate. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was only giving `false’ assurances that he would mitigate the damage of groundnut crop,” he said.

Jagan ridiculed the claims of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu that he saved the withering groundnut crop in lakhs of hectares in Anantapur district using rain guns.

Speaking to newsmen, the Opposition leader said there was no truth in the claims of the Chief Minister that he was the first to introduce rain guns. The use of rain guns in the drought-prone Rayalaseema has been in vogue for the past 11 years. The rain guns serve no purpose if there is no water.

The Chief Minister was trying to mislead people by stating that drought in Rayalaseema region could be combated effectively by promoting the use of rain guns,” he said.

The Telugu Desam Party Government also failed to initiate concrete measures to speed up completion of pending irrigation projects in Rayalaseema to solve the drought problem on a permanent basis, he castigated.

The YSR Congress Party president flayed Chandrababu Naidu for his `failure’ to fulfill the loan waiver and other poll promises even two years after coming to power in the State.

Andhra Pradesh is yet to get Special Category Status and other benefits promised by the Centre at the time of bifurcation, despite the claims of the TDP Ministers that they were leaving no stone unturned in this regard. Chandrababu Naidu who was caught `red handed’ in the Cash-for-Vote scam, was mortgaging the interests of the State to bail himself out of it,” Jagan said.