The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Will not rest till chilli ryots get their due, says Naidu

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Tuesday, Apr 26, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Will not rest till chilli ryots get their due, says Naidu

Staff Reporter

Challenges State to prove sincerity

GUNTUR: The Telugu Desam Party will intensify agitation for securing better procurement price for chillies through Markfed, the party president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, announced here on Monday.

At a press conference at the party district unit office, Dr. Reddy said the TDP would not fix any deadline for increasing the price from Rs. 2,300 to a minimum of Rs. 2,700, but continue to put pressure on the Government to procure entire quantity from farmers at that price. "We cannot put deadlines before an insensitive Government, but will continue rasta roko, dharna, indefinite fast and other modes of agitation," he clarified. "We knew the implications of Market Intervention Scheme-2004 related to bearing loss, as we wanted to protect farmers' interests," Mr. Naidu said.

`Intervene now'

"The Government delayed the intervention this year, but if it claims to be a friend of farmers, it should not bother about the amount of subsidy," he said

When the TDP was in power it had procured paddy, tobacco, tomato and pulses when the prices crashed. The Government should announce a remunerative support price before the crop was sown. Free power also was for namesake, he alleged pointing out that several conditions had been put to deprive a majority of farmers of this benefit.

Asked about the letter written by the former Health Minister, Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, and the dissent expressed by other leaders in the party, Mr. Naidu said disciplinary action would be taken based on the report of a committee formed to go into this affair.

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