Naidu turned cyclone ‘Montha’ into ‘publicity festival’, claims YSRCP leader

Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), Oct 31 (PTI) YSRCP leader K Kanna Babu on Friday accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of turning cyclone 'Montha' into a "publicity festival while neglecting the distress" faced by farmers.

Babu alleged that the chief minister scrapped the free crop insurance scheme introduced by the previous YSRCP government and diverted Rs 200 crore for "digital propaganda instead of providing relief." "Naidu has turned cyclone Montha into a publicity festival while completely ignoring the sufferings of farmers," Kanna Babu alleged in a press release.

He claimed that while farmers were "crying in their fields", the chief minister was "celebrating in air-conditioned command rooms." According to the YSRCP leader, the previous government had covered 84 lakh farmers under the free insurance scheme and provided over Rs 7,800 crore in compensation to nearly 55 lakh farmers.

Under the current TDP-led NDA government, he alleged that free insurance was withdrawn, with coverage dropping to around nine lakh farmers and only 19 lakh acres insured.

Babu also questioned the government’s cyclone loss assessment, pointing out that while total damage was pegged at over Rs 5,200 crore, only Rs 829 crore was accounted for as crop loss. "Is this underreporting to deny compensation?" he asked.

He demanded immediate compensation for affected farmers, restoration of the free crop insurance scheme, and a transparent loss assessment.

There was no immediate response from the TDP. PTI MS STH SSK