Tadepalli, Nov 1: YSR Congress Party President and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy strongly rebutted Chandrababu Naidu’s claims of effectively managing the cyclone situation, calling his statements “feudal–era boasting detached from ground reality” and evidence of “insensitive and incompetent governance.”
He asserted that real disaster management is not about photo opportunities, cameras, or publicity drills, but about protecting vulnerable families and shielding farmers from distress.
“Chandrababu Naidu cancelled the free crop insurance scheme that stood as a divine shield, a Sri Rama Raksha, for farmers. Is cutting off a lifeline and abandoning farmers your definition of good governance?” he asked. He recalled that under the YSRCP government, 84.8 lakh farmers were covered under free crop insurance, and 54.55 lakh farmers received Rs. 7,802 crore in compensation in times of need. “That is real governance, protecting every farmer, every acre,” he asserted.
By contrast, YS Jagan pointed out, only 19 lakh farmers today remain insured, and they are forced to pay premiums on their own. The rest are left exposed in the middle of a severe natural calamity. “Who will protect the remaining farmers in this crisis? If our universal e-crop and free crop insurance system had continued, every farmer today would have had a safety net,” he said. He reminded that in just 18 months of Naidu’s rule, farmers faced adverse weather conditions nearly 16 times, yet not a single rupee has been paid as compensation. “You owe Rs. 600 crore to farmers, but paid nothing. You dismantled RBKs, diluted e-crop, scrapped free crop insurance, destroyed the season-within-season input subsidy mechanism, and cheated farmers by promising Rs. 40,000 under Annadata Sukhibhava but giving only Rs. 5,000. Is this planning or betrayal?” he questioned.
Pointing to the loss of eight lives in the cyclone, YS Jagan asked, “If you managed the cyclone so well, why did innocent people die? Real governance prevents loss of life and supports livelihoods, not just runs a PR exercise.” He said YSRCP introduced revolutionary reforms such as Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) at the village level, India’s first universal free crop insurance, real-time crop loss enumeration, input subsidy before the next season, e-crop mapping for every acre, a Rs. 3,000 crore price stabilization fund, and CMAPP procurement system, all designed to stand by farmers from seed to sale. “That is planning. That is accountable, scientific, and compassionate governance,” he emphasised.
Accusing Naidu of systematically dismantling farmer-support structures, he said, “You broke down a farmer-protection architecture brick by brick and now attempt to pass off negligence as efficiency. This is not leadership, this is apathy disguised as administration.”
Concluding, YS Jagan declared, “Chandrababu Naidu’s governance is insensitive and incompetent. When farmers needed support the most, he abandoned them. True leadership protects people; it does not advertise itself.”
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