PM, Sushilkumar Shinde neglecting plight of rain-battered AP: Chandrababu Naidu

VIJAYAWADA: TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu today attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde for "purposefully neglecting" the plight of Andhra Pradesh, which has been battered by rains, owing to political considerations.

"The prime minister should break his silence and come forward to the rescue of people of Andhra Pradesh who have suffered a huge damage to their properties and crops due to nature's fury in the form of cyclone 'Phailin' and heavy rains of late," Naidu told reporters here.

He also criticised Shinde for failing to respond to the situation and not reviewing the fallout of the calamity. "Shinde is misfit to be the home minister," the TDP chief added.

The former chief minister also taunted the Central government, saying, "Perhaps Congress has realised that it is not coming to power in Andhra again and is thus ignoring the plight of people".

Naidu said the compensation announced by the state government for the loss of property and crops should be "reasonable".

"How could the state government announce a compensation of mere Rs 4,000 per acre for damaged paddy crop even as the cost incurred on its cultivation has crossed Rs 20,000 per acre?," he said.

Naidu said the devastation caused by rain and the cyclone in coastal areas of the state be declared as "natural disaster".