"Human blunder too," says Chandrababu Naidu accusing AP govt of not taken "any preventive measures" against cyclone Michaung
Dec 08, 2023
Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) [India], December 8 : Despite enough warnings about cyclone Michaung, YSR Congress Party-led Andhra Pradesh government has not taken "any preventive measures" to check the damage, former chief minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu alleged on Friday.
"Natural disasters are quite common but in the damage caused by the Michaung cyclone, there was a human blunder too. Despite enough warnings about the cyclone, the State Government has not taken any preventive measures to check the damage," Naidu said here.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national presidend alleged that the farmers in the State have suffered heavily not only due to natural disasters like cyclone Michaung but also due to the YSRCP government's apathy towards them.
After visiting the damaged crops in the Michaung cyclone-affected areas like Revendrapadu and Nandivelugu in the Guntur district, Chandrababu said that the majority of the farmers did not cultivate any crops due to severe drought conditions in the state while those who raised crops suffered damage due to the cyclone.
The majority of those whose crops got damaged are tenant farmers who have spent nearly Rs 40,000 per acre including Rs 20,000 as lease, the TDP supremo claimed.
"Not even gunny bags are supplied to the farmers and nor even a single rupee was spent in the past four years on drainage repairs due to which the standing crops got damaged with the heavy flow of drain water into the fields," Chandrababu claimed.
The former chief minister expressed concern that though the entire farming community is suffering a lot, there has been "no movement of the Government machinery till now." Did even a single farmer get the Fasal Bheema as the insurance facility for Kharif should have been finalised by July 15 itself, he asked.
Much before the Opposition party leaders, the Chief Minister should have visited the farmers first to personally know their problems, Chandrababu said. While the cyclone crossed the coast near Bapatla, the Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, was on a tour to Tirupati, he alleged.
Claiming that the input subsidy per acre was increased to Rs 20,000 from Rs 10,000 during the TDP regime in 2014, Chandrababu asked what CM Jagan has done for the farmers in the five years. "Did he (CM) pay the input subsidy to the farmers," Naidu questioned.
"I have been sent to jail by foisting a false case though I have not committed any kind of mistake in my 45 years of political life. I suffered a lot mentally for no fault of mine," Chandrababu said, alleging that those who are raising their voice on the failures of the government are "being harassed by foisting false cases."
"What happened to those who acted with highhandedness in Telangana?" A similar situation will be repeated in the state, Chandrababu Naidu said, while alluding the rout of BRS government in the neighbouring state in the recently concluded assembly polls.
Alleging that Andhra Pradesh stood on top in the debts and second in the suicides by tenant farmers, he demanded suitable compensation to the farmers who suffered crop loss in the cyclone.
Assuring the farming community that he would stand by them, Chandrababu asked the farmers to fight for justice.
"If the State Government does not respond now, wait for three months. I will personally take the responsibility so that you get the compensation," Naidu assured the farmers, alleging that the Chief Minister has no sympathy towards the farming community.