UPA government draws flak

VIJAYAWADA: Nov 25, 2007

Seeking to put the farmer at the centre-stage of national politics, the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) here on Saturday accused the Centre of pursuing “anti-farmer” policies leading to suicides of more than a lakh farmers. The lot of the ryots would improve only if the UNPA comes to power, the alliance maintained.

The message was sought to be sent loud and clear through ‘Rythu Garjana’, a massive public meeting organised by the TDP here, which was attended by UNPA leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh (Samajwadi Party), Farooq Abdullah (National Conference), Babulal Marandi (Jharkhand Vikas Morcha), Om Prakash Chautala (Indian National Lok Dal) and Brindavan Goswami (Asom Gana Parishad).

The meeting, which was organised at V.R. Siddhartha Engineering College, saw a huge turnout. Its objective was to mount pressure on the Centre to concede the demand for hiking the minimum support price to Rs. 1,000 per quintal for paddy and implementation of Dr. Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations.

The recurring theme of the leaders’ speeches was that the UPA regime and its chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh “have little knowledge on the issues concerning farmers.”

Mr. Naidu, who liberally invoked NTR’s legacy in his speech, declared to a round of thunderous applause that the struggle launched through the meeting would not stop until all the demands were achieved.

Mr. Mulayam Singh asserted that the UNPA was not an “election-eve alliance” but one that was intended to “save the nation”. It was sure to ascend the throne in Delhi, he expressed confidence.

Mr. Abdullah sprang a surprise by calling NTR’s son Harikrishna and Mr. Naidu for a warm hug, and told the gathering: “You should be proud of this (NTR’s) family.”

By Shamsheer (H)