*Sailajanath slams  Naidu for misleading Rayalaseema farmers with Horticulture Hub*

Anantapur, Oct 2: Former Minister and YSRCP leader Sake Sailajanath accused Chandrababu Naidu of misleading Rayalaseema farmers over the Horticulture Hub. He said crops were drying up as the government celebrated, and the Rs 1 lakh crore proposal had no budget allocation.

Sailajanath said groundwater had fallen from 7.96 metres in 2025 to 11.14 metres. Farmers drilling up to 1,200 feet found no water. About 10,000 acres of mango orchards had dried up in Chittoor; farmers in Anantapur, Kurnool and Kadapa were spending heavily on tankers to save sweet lime trees. He warned the project could transfer farmers’ lands to corporations and turn them into labourers on their own fields.

He said chilli, tomato, sweet lime and onion growers lacked fair prices. Free crop insurance coverage, he alleged, had fallen from 1.18 crore farmers under YSRCP to 40 lakh under the coalition. With rainfall deficit above 47 per cent, including 78 per cent in Annamayya and 64 per cent in Sri Sathya Sai, he questioned declaring drought in only 388 mandals.

Sailajanath alleged the government stopped the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project and shifted institutions, including AIIMS, the High Court, MSME, forensic science and electronics facilities, from the region. He demanded crop-loss compensation and input subsidy.