Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, has reacted to the tobacco farmer's suicide and the allegations made by him in his last letter.
The tobacco farmers in Andhra Pradesh are distressed. A farmer, Simhadri Venkateshwar Rao, from West Godavari district committed suicide as he was not able to pay the loans he had taken for his son's education and growing tobacco. Before committing suicide, the 49-year-old farmer had written a letter to the Chief Minister, questioning his priorities.
In his letter, Rao wrote, "All farmers are distressed due to debts. They have taken loans and are not able to repay them. Farmers have started committing suicide. Rs 5.5 crores are spent on a bus to ensure safety of the chief minister but nothing is done for the safety of farmers. This letter is on behalf of all farmers and if the government does not address our problems, I will commit suicide."
Talking to IBN Live, Chandrababu Naidu said that he has been doing everything possible to save the state's farmers. He has spent over Rs 25,000 crore to address various issues of the farmers. "No government has given such huge offer to farmers in the past," the Chief Minister told the TV channel.
"I have done a lot for farmers. They have been given money, it is not that government has not done anything for them, but my security is important. This suicide issue is different from safety and security," Chandrababu Naidu told CNN-IBN. Naidu reportedly added that he cannot compromise on his security.
Recently, Chandrababu Naidu spent crores on his lake view guest house, hiring private aircraft for his national and international trips, renovation of his secretariat and temporary residence. He also spent a lot on his convoy. The opposition parties have criticised him for spending crores from the state's exchequer on himself at a time when the Andhra Pradesh is facing major financial crisis.
