Opposition Stage Walk-Out In Andhra Assembly

The entire opposition, barring the BJP, yesterday staged a noisy walk-out in the Andhra Pradesh assembly protesting against the callousness of Telugu Desam government in the wake of spate of suicides by debt-burdened cotton farmers in the state.

During the six-hour long acrimonious debate on the issue, after suspension of the listed agenda, opposition members repeatedly rushed to podium demanding waiver of loans, revival of rural indebtedness act to regulate activities of exploitative and unscrupulous private money lenders and stringent action against those involved in supply of spurious pesticides and seeds.

Opposition Congress, CPI, CPI (M) and TDP (NTR) members were unanimous in rapping the government for its indifference and anti-farmers policies despite suicides by over 300 cotton farmers in the state during the last few months. Amidst uproarious scenes and hurling of invectives, they demanded hike in ex-gratia for families of victims and increased institutional finance for small and marginal farmers.

Replying to the debate, state agriculture minister K Vidyadhar Rao said that the governments response to the tragedy was swift and adequate and said the Centre had agreed to bring cotton under the purview of the comprehensive crop insurance scheme following the initiative taken by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

The government was considering revival of the Rural Indebtedness Act, lapsed in 1991, to regulate private money lending business, which was being viewed as the root-cause of farmers sufferings, the minister said.

He, however, said extensive consultations with all sections was necessary before reviving the act in the interest of farming community. unless an alternative credit policy is in place, any attempt to curb private lending might further compound problems of farmers and restrict availability of loans, he cautioned.

The floor leaders P Janardhan Reddy (Congress), C H Rajeshwar Rao (CPI), P Ramaiah (CPI-M) and Lakshmi Parvathi (NTR TDP) wanted sincere attempts by the government to instil confidence among farmers who were already reeling under debt burden and massive crop loss due to virulent pest attack.

The house plunged into furore when treasury benches and opposition accused each other of trying to politicise human tragedy and questioned each others commitment to farmers cause.

The government had already released Rs 44.91 crore towards compensation for crop loss, particularly in backward Telangana region, and had succeeded in persuading the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to announce a special package for cotton farmers including a two-year moratorium on crop loans extended by banks, the minister said.

Sonia announces relief to victims of massacre, gun-battle

Press Trust of India AHGAM (KASHMIR)

Congress president Sonia Gandhi yesterday announced relief of Rs 10 lakh each to the survivors of the Udhampur massacre and victims of a three-day gun-battle between militants and army in South Kashmir last week.

The amount will be made available from the All India Congress Relief Fund, Sonia said after meeting the four survivors of last Fridays massacre in Reasi and Pouni areas of Udhampur district and victims of army-ultras gun-fight in Ahgam village in South Kashmirs Pulwama district.

Sonia, who kept around 2,000 villagers waiting in Ahgam, 50 km from Srinagar, by arriving nearly four hours behind schedule, did not address a public meeting organised by the Pradesh Congress Committee.

Accompanied by her daughter, Priyanka, Sonia came out of the security cordon and mingled with the people informing them about the sanction of the relief for the reconstruction of the village.

Ahgam village was a witness to the longest-ever gun-battle between militants and army last week and one-third of the village structures, including houses, shops and cowsheds, were razed to ground in the three-day encounter. Nine ultras and three troops were killed in the gun-fight which also left five army personnel, including Brigadier Ramesh Dixit, wounded.

Earlier, the Congress president met the four survivors of last fridays massacre in Udhampur and expressed her sympathies.

Visiting Reasi and Pouni areas of Udhampur district, where more than 1,000 families of minority community have migrated to from several hilly hamlets following killing of 26 Hindus in Prankote and Dakikote villages on last Friday night, Sonia Gandhi sat with the survivors and listened to their tales of woe.