Chiru begins farmer consolation tour, blames govt

Praja Rajyam Party President K Chiranjeevi on Tuesday launched his ‘Rythu Paramarsha Yathra’ (farmer consolation tour) in the district to console the kin farmers who committed suicides after falling in a debt trap due to their crops failing on account of natural calamities.

The PRP chief’s tour started from Pondugula mandal in the district where Mr Chiranjeevi met the families of farmers who committed suicide after they lost crop due to ‘Jal’ cyclone. These farmers, he said, were left with no other choice than ending their life.

Talking to media persons, Mr Chiranjeevi added that the state government was squarely to be blamed for the spate of farmer suicides since it was inefficient and lethargic. He said that if the government had acted on time and announced relief measures, the farmers would not have resorted to the extreme step.

The actor-turned-politician added that the farmers who did not commit suicide were now living in a state of penury and were debt-ridden, having taken loans to sow their crops before the cyclone struck. Mr Chiranjeevi advised government to have a rethink on the present package announced for the farmers and come out with a revised one. He demanded that the revised package should include a compensation of Rs 10,000 per hectare of crops sown.