Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the issue of alleged suicide by farmers hit by natural calamities in Andhra Pradesh would be looked into.
The assurance was given by the prime minister to a delegation of seven Opposition parties which met him to draw his attention to the plight of farmers in the southern state, CPI leader A B Bardhan told reporters after the meeting.
The delegation also handed over to him a letter from TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu, describing the situation of farmers hit by untimely rain and cyclone in the state, he said.
Naidu has been on a hunger strike, demanding adequate relief to farmers in the state.
Singh assured the delegation that a decision would be taken after an official team visiting the state to assess the situation gave its report, Bardhan said.
“The PM said he would consider all of these. An official team has been sent for the assessment. Let them come back. Then they will take a decision,” he said.
Also Read
The prime minister also asked the delegation, comprising leaders from parties including the CPI(M), CPI, TDP, JD(S), RLD, AIADMK and MDMK to “convey” his sympathy to Naidu, who continues his hunger strike in a hospital in Hyderabad.
CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said the delegation told the prime minister the Centre should intervene as the situation in the state was very serious, with “137 farmers having committed suicide so far”.
“This is something which cannot afford any bureaucratic delay,” Karat said and blamed the “callous” approach towards the farmers by both the Centre and the state government.
She said the delegation told the prime minister that the Rs 400-crore advance package announced by him yesterday to provide succour to farmers was not enough, because the damage was “much, much larger”.
“The prime minister has been informed that the legitimate demand of the people of Andhra Pradesh is that the farmers should be given a minimum of Rs 10,000 per acre under paddy and Rs 15,000 per acre under other crops — whether it is in the Telangana region, Rayalaseema region or coastal Andhra — as all farmers are equally affected,” Karat said.
Meanwhile, in his open letter, Naidu alleged the state government had failed to infuse confidence and assured the farmers and other communities in the state.
Naidu refuses to end fast
Naidu’s condition worsened today, as he continued his fast and refused to take even liquids.
His indefinite hunger strike demanding adequate compensation for Andhra Pradesh farmers, whose crops were damaged in the recent floods and heavy rains, entered its sixth day today.
A six-member team of doctors from Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (Nims) is monitoring his condition. The doctors wanted to shift him to the intensive care unit but the former Andhra chief minister refused to do so. “We are trying to use the room he is staying in as an ICU,” said the doctors at Nims.
Earlier, Naidu locked his room from inside and did not let anyone in. His wife, Bhuvaneswari, other family members and senior TDP leaders tried in vain to persuade him to take some liquids.
Jagan’s hunger strike
Former Congress MP from Kadapa, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who started his 48-hour fast today, spent most of his time this morning with his supporters.
Several Congress MLAs were expected to meet him at the hunger strike camp on the banks of river Krishan today, but they did not turn up.
Forces sent to Andhra
The Centre has dispatched a contingent of paramilitary forces to Andhra Pradesh to face any situation that may arise after the Srikrishna Committee gives its report on the Telangana issue.