Fasting Naidu held, Andhra rocked by TDP protests

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh was rocked by protests on Monday during a shutdown called by the main Opposition Telugu Desam Party to protest against the arrest of N Chandrababu Naidu over his indefinite fast, demanding relief package for farmers.

The TDP chief has been on a fast for the last four days, demanding adequate compensation to farmers who lost their crops due to the rain.

The government decided to arrest Naidu after a report from Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) warned of Naidu’s deteriorating health. When negotiations with the TDP workers dragged on for seven hours, the police forcibly shifted him to the hospital.

Along with Naidu, his son Lokesh, and several TDP leaders were bodily lifted from the hunger strike camp in the new MLA quarters.

TDP protests erupted in all 23 districts of the state after Naidu was arrested, with the party declaring a state-wide ‘bandh’ on Monday. “If necessary, we will move a no-confidence motion against the anti-farmer government in the state,” TDP leader P Keshav said, while leading a protest rally.

The leader of the Opposition was shifted to NIMS, where he is continuing his fast. The bandh call was supported by the CPI and the CPM. Chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu have been at loggerheads over the farmers’ relief package.

The government had on Thursday enhanced the input subsidy from `4,500 to `6,000 per hectare to farmers who lost their crops. It also waived interest on farm loans disbursed this season, resulting in a relief of `350 crore to farmers in distress.

Chief minister said the hike in input subsidy would provide relief to farmers who lost crops like paddy, sugarcane and cotton in over 10 lakh hectares.

However, the TDP chief expressed displeasure over the compensation and demanded an input subsidy of `10,000 per acre.

Meanwhile, Jaganmohan Reddy, the son of former chief minister YS Rajshekhar Reddy, also decided to go on a 48-hour long fast for farmers in Vijayawada from Tuesday.