Statement issued by
Shri L.K. Advani
Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha)
New Delhi – October 3, 2007

Kudos to young kisan activists for their 1840-km-long Kisan Azadi Pad Yatra and Hunger Strike to highlight the problem of farmers’ suicides in Andhra Pradesh

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PM must speedily look into problems of sugarcane growers in Telangana

A delegation of farmers from Medak district in Andhra Pradesh met me last week to apprise me of a unique campaign that they had undertaken to highight the problem of kisan suicides in the Telangana region of the state. Four of them ― D. Vasant Kumar, G. Govind Reddy, K. Narayan Reddy and K. Ramulu ― had come to Delhi on a ‘Kisan Azadi Pad Yatra’, covering a distance of 1840 kms on foot in 54 days. They explained to me the numerous difficulties faced by farmers, especially sugarcane-growers, in their region, which were compounded by the faulty policies and callous attitude of the central and state governments.

As is well known, thousands of debt-ridden farmers have committed suicide in the Telengana region of Andhra Pradesh. Many such cases have also been reported from Medak district.

I complimented the young kisan activists on their arduous pad yatra and conveyed my best wishes for the dharna they had planned at Jantar Mantar, along with scores of kisans from Medak who were expected to join them the following day.

Yesterday I learnt that Vasant Kumar and Govind Reddy had also begun an indefinite hunger strike to draw the attention of the government to the plight of farmers in Telangana. Their hunger strike has entered the sixth day today. Concerned about their health, especially in view of the fact that they have suffered the strain of walking continuously for nearly two months all the way from Medak to Delhi, I appealed to them to call off their hunger strike. I said they had already done enough ― indeed, more than what one would expect from a non-political organization of youngsters ― to highlight the problems of kisans in their state.

I am happy to note that they have accepted my appeal.

I have assured them that I would soon write a letter to the Prime Minister and the Agriculture Minister to give serious and speedy consideration to their demands, some of which are:

1) Immediate debt relief to all the distressed farmers, especially sugarcane growers, in Telangana.

2) Generous rehabilitation measures for the families of kisans who have committed suicide.

3) Timebound completion of all the irrigation schemes in Telangana to lessen the burden on farmers who are today required to dig bore-wells deeper and deeper at enormous cost, often taking loans from private moneylenders at usurious interest rates.

4) Provision of easy and timely credit to farmers through banks, and mandating them to widen their network of Grameen Banks in villages.

5) Setting up of a price stabilization fund for farm produce.

6) Modification in the guidelines of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme so that kisans, especially small and marginal kisans, do not suffer labour shortage at critical times of farming operations.

7) Reforms in the functioning of the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) so as to take into account the rising input prices on a district-to-district basis. Specifically, district-level representation of kisans on CACP.

8) Suitable action by the govt. of Andhra Paradesh in respect of the alleged scandal in the privatization of Nizam Sugar Mills.