During his recent visit to Anantapur district, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has claimed that he has driven away drought from the district in four days.
What is surprising is that he has made the claim after undertaking an aerial survey to study the intensity of the drought in the district.
“This is ridiculous. Let him do the field visit and he will know that nearly 90 per cent of the crop has dried up in the region,” YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy said, while addressing the Rythu Maha dharna in front of the Collector Office on Tuesday.
“During his earlier visit to the district, he had brandished the rain-guns, as if they were invented by him and said that he has driven away drought by providing water to over 4 lakh acres in just four days.
The very same field where he used the rain gun has dried up now and he has feigned ignorance and tried to shift the blame on officials and others that no one had brought to his notice about the drought situation,” Jagan pointed out.
While the drought situation in the district was so severe and agriculture labour were migrating in search of livelihood, the Chief Minister who boasts of having computer technology which has a huge database was found wanting when it mattered most, he said.
The claim of providing water is only an alibi to evade input subsidy. Of Rs 990 crore input subsidy, nothing was paid so far. There has been deficit rainfall in the region varying from 25 to 52 % and though rainfall is not in our hands, the government should be providing aid and take steps to mitigate the drought situation and ensure that there are no farmer suicides, he said.
