TD cheating farmers, says minister Kakani

Tirupati: Agriculture minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy launched a scathing attack on the Telugu Desam (TD) and its affiliated media outlets, accusing them of deceiving the farmers under the guise of “Telugu Rythu Steering Committee”.

The Telugu Rythu Steering Committee, an initiative by the TD, was originally a platform to address the concerns of the farmers in the state. However, the minister asserted that the committee was being used as a smokescreen for a more sinister agenda, aimed at manipulating and misleading farmers for political gains.

During the media conference held on Sunday, Govardhan Reddy called on the TD's leaders, especially its president N. Chandrababu Naidu, to clarify their motives for approaching farmers through the ‘Telugu Rythu Steering Committee’.

He accused Naidu of deceiving farmers during his tenure and warned them not to get carried away by Naidu's “crocodile tears”. “Chandrababu cheated the farmers and he is now getting ready to deceive them with new moves,” he added.

The minister also criticised Nara Lokesh and said that he lacked the necessary knowledge to address the farmers' concerns. He remarked, “It’s really strange that Nara Lokesh, who does not even know what crops are grown in Kharif and Rabi, is writing letters”.

Terming a section of the media as “yellow media”, the minister accused them of spreading misinformation and trying to declare drought zones in the state without understanding the procedures.

Govardhan Reddy mentioned that the affected farmers are already receiving benefits under the free crop insurance scheme and urged them not to believe the media's reporting.

He said that Rythu Bharosa will be disbursed on the 7th of this month. He further explained that Kharif crops are dependent on the southwest monsoon and that, due to scanty rainfall, the crop acreage was impacted to some extent. He said that the government has declared 103 mandals as drought-affected and had prepared an action plan for Rabi crops.