UNPA to support farmers to get MSP: Naidu

Vijayawada, Nov 25: United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) national convenor and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday announced that his party along with regional parties of UNPA would launch a national movement till the farmers in the country get minimum support price (MSP) Of Rs 1000 a quintal to paddy besides other 13 agricultural crops.

Addressing 'Rythugarzana' public meeting in the presence Of UNPA top leaders like former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, he said the agitation by the UNPA would continue until the peasants issue was solved.

Mr Naidu said the 'Rythugarjana' meeting was not a political one but was held to mount pressure on the centre for getting justice to the peasants.

''During the TDP government, the party had not done any injustice to the Telugu people,'' Mr Naidu said and added that the centre had shown disparity in fixing the MSP between wheat and paddy.

He said, ''I am not against on the increase of MSP for wheat, but at the same time the centre should announce the MSP on paddy of more than Rs 1000 a quintal.

Mr Naidu said though there was 42 MSP and eight ministers representing the state at the centre, they have not brought pressure on the centre to increase the MSP price of paddy on par with the wheat.

The former Chief Minister lamented that after the Congress government came to power about one lakh farmers committed suicide in the country and despite there was copious rainfall and floods in Andhra Pradesh, the farmers had not received remunerative prices for their crops.

He said the centre had imported about 70 lakh metric tonnes of wehat and also for the first time it also imported food grains from other countries.
In his address UNPA President Mulayam Singh Yadav said the centre should provide remunerative prices for agriculture crop and solve the women and youth problems prevailing in the country. The UNPA would discuss in the next meeting about the spree of suicides of farmers due to mounting of debts.

Former Chief Minister of Haryana Om Prakash Chautala said farmers in the country were in total crisis as they were not getting minimum support price for their produces.

He said the centre was importing wheat from other countries by paying Rs 1600 a quintal and only paying Rs 800 a quintal to country's farmers. Mr Chautala said the Central government is being run by Italian woman Ms Sonia Gandhi.

He also felt that in this critical juncture, a third alternative should come into existence at the centre to solve the peasants problems and also pave way to oust the present UPA government. The centre was implementing anti-economic policies in the country, he added.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah in his speech said TDP founder and former Chief Minster N T Rama Rao stood for united and democratic India and fought for liberty of people's rights.

Mr Abdullah said though India was shinning, poverty continues to grow and prices of essential commodities in the country had shot up causing misery to the common man.

He said every state has to shine if the country should shine and if the state is weak the centre would automatically become weak.

He also said Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and no body could take it away, adding that the problem of human rights was still continuing in the country and unless we take corrective measures, there would be no zero tolerance as envisaged by the Prime Minister.

The National Cconference patron said the sarkaria commission, on centre and state relations, was still collecting dust.

If we strengthen the Telugu Desam Party, the wave could go to the north, he added. UNI