Jagan to observe 1-day fast in Delhi for farmers

Former Congress Mp YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Monday revealed that he, along with his supporters, would undertake a one-day hunger strike at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on January 11 to highlight the plight of rain-hit farmers and also as a mark of protest against the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal’s Award.

Talking to media persons at NAD Junction in Visakhapatnam where he had unveiled his father, former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s statue, the Kadapa leader said that MPs and MLAs loyal to him would undertake the token fast along with him. He added that the fast would be to mount pressure on the Centre to release an adequate relief package for the rain-hit farmers in the state and would be also to register his protest against the Krishna Tribunal’s verdict over the sharing of waters between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The former MP lashed out at both the Centre and state government for failing to provide relief to the farmers who have been reeling under mounting debts after the lost their crops due to five successive natural calamities.

He said that he had sought an appointment with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to raise the issue but was refused. Mr Jaganmohan Reddy added that he had to present a memorandum on the issue to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

Recalling his father’s love for the farmers and his concern for their welfare, Mr Jaganmohan Reddy said that YSR would have been deeply distressed if he was alive about the hardships being faced by the farmers and the injustice done to the state by the verdict of the Krishna Tribunal.

Referring to the Congress MLAs and leaders who had joined him despite the party High Command trying to restrict them from taking part in his Odarpu Yatra, Mr Jaganmohan Reddy said that more and more people will join him as time progresses.

The latest leg of the Odarpu Yatra will see the Kadapa leader consoling 18 families of those who died of shock or committed suicide following YSR’s death. About 100 statues for the former chief minister would also be unveiled by Mr Jaganmohan Reddy during this leg of the Yatra.

Incidentally, this is Mr Jaganmohan Reddy's first leg of the Odarpu yatra after he resigned from the Congress and his Lok Sabha seat. He had already taken out the Yatra in West Godavari, Khammam, East Godavari, Srikakulam, Prakasam and Nellore districts.