YS Sharmila, the President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), yesterday asserted that the NDA coalition government had perpetrated five major "frauds" against the state's agricultural sector, rather than delivering on welfare promises.
She strongly criticised the government's handling of agriculture over the last 17 months, accusing the administration of abandoning the sector and plunging farmers into severe financial hardship.
"Not five formulas for cultivation, but five frauds-Chandrababu's so-called five-formula welfare is completely bogus. For 17 months, they have abandoned agriculture to the winds," said Sharmila in a post on 'X'.
According to the Andhra Pradesh government, the five-point formula is water security, demand-based cultivation, agri-tech, food processing and government support for farmers.
Sharmila alleged that the administration's claims of a "five-formula plan for farmers' welfare" were nothing more than rhetoric driven by publicity.
The APCC leader accused the government of neglecting to respond to agricultural losses caused by natural disasters and of ignoring urgent pleas for relief from cultivators.
She pointed out the alleged absence of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for any crop during the entire 17-month period, claiming this has left farmers vulnerable to volatile market fluctuations.
Sharmila further alleged that the state's flagship Annadata Sukhibhava programme, which provides ₹20,000 in annual financial aid to eligible farmers, has excluded half the farming population, while several subsidy schemes were simultaneously discontinued, escalating rural distress.
The Congress leader claimed that even when the market prices for produce such as tomatoes, onions, and bananas collapsed to as low as ₹1, the government failed to establish a price stabilisation fund and wound up operations.
She also asserted that the authorities' failure to supply essential fertilisers and seeds in a timely manner had driven farmers into mounting debt, pushing many to the brink of despair.
There was no immediate comment from the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) regarding these allegations.
Also read: YS Sharmila slams TDP-BJP alliance, cites neglect of Dalits
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