Jaganmohan Reddy to observe two-day fast over farmers' issues

Hyderabad, Jan 5: The YSR Congress today said that its President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy would undertake a two-day fast shortly, seeking justice for farmers in Andhra Pradesh on various issues.

The party alleged that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) led Andhra Pradesh government is "repressing" farmers who reside in the proposed state capital region near Vijayawada.

A YSR Congress delegation led by Jaganmohan Reddy met AP Governor E S L Narasimhan here today and submitted a representation to him detailing the "harassment being meted out to farmers who are not willing to part with their lands" in the proposed AP capital region.

The party sought an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into the alleged harassment, a YSR Congress release quoted party leader Dharmana Prasad Rao as saying, after he met the AP Governor.

"Y S Jaganmohan Reddy will sit on a two-day fast at Tanuku in West Godavari district on January 31 and February 1 to protest against anti-farmer policies of the TDP government," Rao said. Besides its lopsided approach towards acquiring land, the the TDP-led AP state government has failed to provide minimum support price (MSP) to farmers and give proper relief and rehabilitation to Cyclone Hudhud-affected farmers, he said.

"The two-day dharna will highlight the failures of the TDP-led AP state government in handling farmers' issues," he said. YSR Congress MLAs from Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam districts accompanied Jaganmohan Reddy to the Raj Bhavan and gave a representation narrating the "trauma of locals who are not willing to part with their land" for the proposed AP state capital region.

PTI