Press Releases Archive

Lok Satta debunks CM’s claim on farmers’ faith in Government

The Lok Satta Party today refuted Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy’s contention that the Congress Party’s victory in elections to cooperative societies testifies to farmers’ faith in his Government.

In a media statement, Lok Satta Party General Secretary Katari Srinivasa Rao and Secretary P. Bhaskara Rao pointed out that the Chief Minister sought to cover up the ruling party’s abuse of power ranging from enrolment of bogus members to offer of inducements for emerging victorious in cooperative elections.

Irrespective of the crop he raises or the region he belongs to, there has been little improvement in the farmer’s condition as evidenced by suicides by farmers and tenants.

The Lok Satta leaders underlined that the support price being offered by the State Government for fine varieties of paddy falls much below the cost of production estimated by the State Government itself in its note to the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices. The State Government has not been able to give input subsidy on time to the farmer buffeted by unprecedented power cuts, droughts and cyclones or ensure remunerative prices.

The leaders recalled that the farmer got up to Rs.8000 per quintal of cotton during the last season because of the efforts of the Lok Satta and independent farmers’ organizations in getting the ban on cotton exports lifted. Similarly, the farmer got a better price for fine variety of paddy following the lifting of restrictions on paddy exports in response to the ‘ryotu satyagraha’ launched by the Lok Satta.

Prices of cotton have now slumped almost 50 percent compared to last year. The farmer is left to his fate as there are no takers for cotton in the Warangal market yard and the produce he has brought to the market is soaked in rain.

Farmers would have sustained losses of up to Rs.10,000 crore this year because of the Government failure to ensure them fair prices for their produce.

The Lok Satta leaders wanted the Chief Minister to focus on improving productivity and ensuring remunerative prices for agricultural produce through free trade, and not confine himself to seeking their votes in elections. He should enable cooperatives to become self-reliant in tune with the spirit of the 97th Constitutional amendment.

"Instead of respecting cooperatives as vibrant farmers' organizations and empowering them, they are controlled by the Government and used for partisan politics. It is time all of us together changed the situation," added the Lok Satta leaders.

Friday, February 8, 2013 - 16:34

Dr. JP decries rot in co-op movement

Lok Satta Party national President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan today held the Government, the ruling party and other traditional parties squarely responsible for the sad state of affairs that characterize elections now under way to cooperatives in Andhra Pradesh.

In a media statement, Dr. JP pointed out that traditional parties have resorted to enrolment of nominal and spurious members treating cooperatives as their fiefdoms. The politicization of cooperatives has injected all distortions of general elections like vote buying, auction of positions and ugly practices of kidnappings and violence.

Dr. JP said that contenders in some cases are incurring more expenditure than the cooperatives have in terms of assets. The outcome naturally will be pilferage, plunder and collapse of cooperatives much to the detriment of poor farmers and other members.

Dr. JP recalled that the Lok Satta as a movement and political party had fought along with many cooperative movement stalwarts like Verghese Kurien and M. Rami Reddy to liberate cooperatives from the clutches of the Government and political parties. It was largely as a result of the efforts of the Lok Satta that the 97th amendment to the Constitution incorporating the right to form cooperatives as a fundamental right under Article 19 (1) (c) was carried out.

Underlining that cooperatives are supposed to be self-reliant economic enterprises, Dr. JP appealed to their members to assert their rights and stem the rot in the movement.

Appeal to youth

Dr. JP appealed to youth to realize that suicide is no solution when they are fighting for their future. “Your parents and you have many dreams about your future. You have the right and duty to fulfill your dreams. But suicide or negation of life is not an option,” Dr JP said.

Referring to the continuing suicides in the cause of Telangana, Dr. JP called upon all political parties to ensure that youth do not fall victims of despair and despondency. He once again asked the Union Government to hammer out an amicable and comprehensive solution to the Telangana problem without further delay.

Thursday, January 31, 2013 - 17:22

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