Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu came down heavily on TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu for announcing Rytu Kosam TDP ( TDP for Farmers) campaign and said he should start the Rytu Mosam TDP campaign (TDP Cheats Farmers) instead he has neglected and cheated farmers during his 14- year tenure.

Speaking to media here on Monday, the Minister said it was Naidu who opposed free electricity for farmers, arrested farmers for not paying electricity bills, was responsible for the Bhaseerbhag incident, and added that he cheated farmers in the name of loan waiver by waiving only Rs 15,000 crore of promised Rs 87,000 crore. He said Naidu didn't oppose the raise of the height of the Almatti dam and ignored Rayalseema irrigation projects like Handri Neeva and added that the Prime Minister himself told that the Polavaram project was like an ATM machine to Naidu. He said the farmers of Andhra Pradesh topped in debt trails by 2018 according to a recent report.

The Minister said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has been committed to farmers' welfare and implemented pro-farmer programmes and added that the whole country is looking towards Rytu Bharosa Kendras ( RBKs). He said the state government has provided MSP to seven crops and for the first time the state government has procured tobacco through AP Markfed and also implemented a free crop insurance scheme. Flaying TDP for its allegations on Input subsidy, the Minister said there is Rs 14,00 crore arrears of Input subsidy of the previous government and it was Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who decided to give the input subsidy in the same season.

The Minister slammed TDP for politicising the installation of smart meters for electricity to farmers though 98 percent of them accepted it. He listed out the activities taken up by the state government to support farmers during the COVID pandemic. He said the state government has given Rs 1,560 crore subsidy to aqua farmers on electricity in the last two years and listed out the details of procurement by the state government in the last two years.

He said TDP has completely neglected farmers and irrigation during its regime and shedding crocodile tears at present only for their political mileage.