YS Sharmila criticizes AP govt over “Five Lies” to farmers

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president YS Sharmila on Tuesday strongly criticized the state government, accusing the NDA coalition of failing to support farmers and instead indulging in what she called five major “lies.”

Speaking from her office, Sharmila said the government’s policies over the past 17 months had left the agricultural sector neglected and farmers in severe financial distress. She specifically targeted the state’s recently launched “Raitanna…Meekosam” program, which promotes a “five-pronged formula” aimed at improving water security, demand-driven cultivation, agri-tech adoption, food processing, and government support for farmers.

Sharmila dismissed the initiative as nothing more than political propaganda, stating - “This is not five formulas for farming; it is five lies. For the past 17 months, the government has abandoned agriculture, burdened farmers with debt, and left them to fend for themselves.”

She outlined the five “lies” of the government over the last 17 months:

• Failing to compensate farmers for losses caused by natural calamities.

• Not providing minimum support prices for any crops, leaving farmers unprotected.

• Registering only half the farmers under welfare schemes like Annadata Sukhibhava, while neglecting other subsidy programs.

• Ignoring price stabilization funds even as crops like tomatoes, onions, and bananas fell to ₹1 per kg.

• Denying essential inputs like fertilizers and seeds, pushing indebted farmers toward despair and, in some cases, suicide.

Sharmila accused the government’s “five-pronged formula” of being purely a publicity stunt. She said authorities had failed to respond effectively to natural calamities or urgent requests from farmers, leaving them at the mercy of volatile market prices without minimum support.