ANANTAPUR: District unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday launched a 30-hour dharna on farmers' problems in front of the Collectorate here.

The party demanded an apology from the Congress leaders to the farmer community for their failure to get a special package sanctioned to the district so far.

Speaking at the protest, party leaders -- M.S. Parthasarathi, Naresh, T. Krishnamurthy, V. Pundareekaksha Reddy, Vishnuvardhan Reddy -- reminded the Congress leaders that they had promised waiver of crop loans and a special package before the last Assembly elections.

But both the promises remained unfulfilled so far, they said.

They alleged that the Congress party was utilising the drought of Anantapur for publicity and political mileage.

The sincerity shown by the party by seeking alms to help the farmers when in opposition was missing now.

The special package of Rs. 1,000 crores announced to the district during P.V. Narasimha Rao's regime was not implemented so far.

Demands

Moreover, the Government was hesitating to write off crop loans of farmers to the tune of Rs. 900 crores in the district, when it was taxing people heavily with new levies. They demanded total write-off of farmers' loans, nine-hour uninterruptible power supply to farming community, sanction of new farm connections and immediate payment of compensation to families of all farmers who had committed suicide, remunerative price for cocoons and open fodder centres to prevent disposal of cattle to the slaughter houses.

Further, they demanded the Government to pay compensation to the farmers displaced by PABR, CBR, Yadiki Canal and Handri-Neeva project without any discrimination, to fill tanks with water from HLC, formation of new tanks and control corruption in the NREGS.

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