Telugu Desam Party(TDP) leader and former MLA Peela Govind Satyanarayana and former MLC Buddha Naga Jagadeesh alleged that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), which came to power on the promise of extending Minimum Support Price (MSP), has cheated the farmers.
A protest was organised as part of the TDP agitation demanding MSP to farmers, at Nehru Chowk in Anakapalle, near here, on Friday. The party leaders and workers held up traffic by squatting on the main road and raising slogans in support of the farmers and against the YSRCP.
The TDP leaders alleged that the State government had destroyed the agriculture sector after coming to power. They said that though the government had procured the paddy from the farmers nearly six months ago, they were not paid the money so far. They also opposed the allotment of 50 acres of land, belonging to the Agricultural Research Centre at Anakapalle, for the construction of the proposed medical college.
A horticulture centre, which was sanctioned during the TDP regime, was shifted to Pulivendula. They also alleged that farmers were not being given seeds and fertilizers on time.
The agitating TDP leaders were arrested by the police and shifted to the police station.
Protests were also organised by the TDP at various places in the district.
A rythu sadassu was organised under the auspices of former Minister Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu at Narsipatnam. Later, the TDP leaders and the party workers took out a bullock cart rally to the Tahsildar Office but were stopped by the police.
At Bheeemunipatnam, Korada Raja Babu led the protest and later a memorandum was submitted to the Tahsildar. Former Minister Kidari Sravan led the protest at Araku. Giddi Eswari was arrested at Paderu. G. Ramanaidu and Pyla Prasad were arrested at Madugula.
At Elamanchilli, State Telugu Yuvatha president M. Srinivasa Reddy, MLC Duvvarapu Rama Rao, former MLA Pappala Chalapathi Rao and party in charge P. Nageswara Rao, also staged protest. A tractor rally was taken out under the auspices of former Minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy at Pendurthy.
