Ongole: Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu failed miserably to rescue the Andhra Pradesh farmers in their times of distress, Leader of Opposition YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said.

Addressing a massive public meeting at Talluru as part of the 102nd day of the Praja Sankalpa Yatra, on Saturday, he said due to lack of irrigation water farmers are forced to switch from paddy cultivation to lentil crop. "However, they fail to get even the minimum support price for lentils. The minimum support price for lentils in the market is Rs 5,450 while the farmers are paid less than Rs 4,400," he said. Former chief minister late YS Rajasekhara Reddy ensured irrigation water to Darsi and surrounding regions during his tenure and in comparison the Chandrababu government did little for the welfare of the farmers, the YSRCP chief pointed out on the occasion.

"The YSR government planned to increase the green cover in Prakasam district through the Veligonda irrigation project (renamed to Poola Subbaiah irrigation project). The irrigation project was being implemented through two parallel tunnels with a proposed length of 18.8 kilometers each. Though 13 and 9 kilometers of the first and second tunnel, respectively, were completed by the previous government, the TDP government failed to complete the rest of the project in the past fours years," the YSRCP chief told the people.

The four years of the TDP government are filled with misleading the people with lies and deceit, YS Jagan said. For instance, at a meeting in Vizag recently, the chief minister spoke about industrial corridor and increase in employment for the local population, the YSRCP chief said. "How many jobs were created in the last four years, how many industries were setup and how much investments did the state receive," he asked the people at the public meeting in Talluru.

He decried Chandrababu claims about special package for Andhra Pradesh. "Special Category Status was approved for the state in the AP Bifurcation Act. The YSRCP has begun a phase-wise protest to achieve SCS. It began with protests at all the 13 districts. Next, there will be protests in Delhi followed by no confidence motion against the Central government. This will be followed by resignation by the MPs. Therefore, the YSRCP is implementing a planned agitation for the right of the people which is the SCS," YS Jagan said. He called on the people of Prakasam to join the agitation for SCS which will bring investments, industries and job opportunities.