Bezawada.co.in

Protests by farmers and a few activists of the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) greeted Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Thursday on his maiden visit to Krishna district after assumption of charge.

Mr. Reddy arrived by helicopter and landed on the Guntur district side of Mandali Venkata Krishna Rao Vaaradhi that connects Puligadda in Krishna district and Penumudi in Guntur district. Ministers, MPs, MLAs and other elected representatives of the two districts received him.

Soon after reaching a place designated by the officials at Mopidevi for the farmers who came from different villages to assemble and pour out their grievances, a few farmers raised slogans demanding that the Chief Minister visit Koduru and Nagayalanka mandals that suffered the maximum damage.

Mr. Reddy quickly interacted with a handful of farmers and addressed them standing on an elevated platform. Revenue Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy, Minister for Secondary Education K. Parthasarathi and former Minister Mandali Buddha Prasad were present.

Even as he was clarifying the issues raised by the farmers, a few MRPS activists raised slogans demanding categorisation of scheduled castes. “I will come back to your issue later,” Mr. Reddy said in a bid to silence them, but did not touch upon the subject later.

Farmers, speaking to the media, expressed their displeasure at the very little time Mr. Reddy spent with them. They said that the officials had not visited them till now. “I have two acres and spent Rs.20,000 on each acre. All that has gone down the drain,” said Goriparthi Venkataramaiah with anguish.