TDP slams govt over arrest of farmers

Hyderabad, June 4 (UNI) Expressing concern over the arrest of 20 farmers in Kadapa, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's home district, for failing to repay loans to private money lenders, the main opposition Telugu Desam Party today said that the so called ''farmer-friendly'' government had no moral right to continue in office.

Addressing a press conference here, Telugu Desam Legislature Party Secretary E Dayakar Rao and veteran leader Ch Rajeswara Rao demanded that the Government stand guarantee for their loans and ensure their unconditional release.

They also wanted the Government to amend the Debt Relief Act to provide protection to farmers from money lenders who were charging a very high interest, sometimes of even 64 per cent for loans advanced by them.

Rescheduling of loans taken by farmers from banks has proved to be a bane with the peasants left with no option but to knock at the doors of private money lenders for raising fresh crop, they lamented.

Reminding Dr Reddy of his poll promise of constituting a Rs 500 crore market intervention fund to provide support price to farmers, another TDP leader S Venkateswara Rao accused the government of being indifferent to the problems of farmers-- forcing many of them to end their lives.

On the pretext of selecting progressive farmers, the government had selected only Congress activists, they charged.

UNI