http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Government+blamed+for+cotton+growers+woes&artid=/40JLufFv80=&SectionID=e7uPP4%7CpSiw=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=EH8HilNJ2uYAot5nzqumeA==&SEO=
By Express News Service 04 Nov 2008 04:59:00 AM IST Chiranjeevi blames Government PARAKAL: In his renewed offensive on the State Government, Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi Monday blamed it for the plight of cotton growers who were being forced to commit suicide and said even the Cotton Corporation of India could not help the farmers in any away. The actor-turned-politican, who was on his Praja Ankita Yatra in Warangal district Monday covered Kazipet, Parakal, Regonda, Ghanapur and Mulugu towns. He faced some anxious moments in the morning when Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) members staged dharna in front of his convoy demanding that the actor should spell out his stand on SCs classification. The police immediately swung into action and pushed the agitators away to make way for the convoy. In the melee, four MRPS workers were injured who later lodged a complaint against Chiranjeevi and his security staff alleging that he had humiliated them by naming their castes. Later Chiranjeevi entered the cotton-rich Parakal in the afternoon and paid homage to the martyrs of the Telangana Liberation Movement and continued his tour. Speaking at Parakal and other places Chiranjeevi lashed out at the government for its failure to come to the rescue of the hapless cotton growers. Stating that they were unable to get support price for the crop, he said that though the CCI had promised to pay Rs 3000 per bale as support price, the farmers were getting only Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,100. They were not even getting back their investment, he said. He interacted with cotton growers Radha and Ilaiah at the field near Rupireddypalle. The farmers poured out their woes to the PRP chief saying that they were incurring heavy loss due to poor quality of seeds and fertilizers. They wanted the PRP to form government and relieve them of their problems. Later speaking at Regonda, Chiranjeevi said that a spate of suicides by cotton growers were reported from this mandal. The PRP founder wanted to know why the State Government was unable to give support price to the cotton as was being given in the northern States. Chiranjeevi said that, if voted to power, the PRP would formulate farmer-friendly policies and added that one need not be a farmer to know their problems. Meanwhile, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) continued their protests saying that their was no clarity on his stand on the Telangana issue. Meanwhile, at Amaradham, a monument built in memory of martyrs of Telangana Liberation Movement, Chiranjeevi assured that if the region sent required number of representatives to the Lok Sabha and Assembly his party would bring pressure on the Centre to create Telangana. He exhorted the people to question the leaders who won the last elections on the Telangana slogan on what they had done during the last four and half years for the the creation of separate State.
