HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu is likely to go on fast in Delhi in the first week of September on two pressing issues _ corruption and agricultural crisis.An emergency Politburo meeting of the party held here on Monday discussed the two issues at length but did not take up Naidu’s proposed fast.But party sources said Naidu may resort to hunger strike in Delhi to hog the limelight of national politics.Asked about his plan, Naidu did not deny. “We are exploring all options to take up farmers’ issues at the national level,” Naidu told reporters. He declared that his party would support Anna Hazare’s fast against corruption first and muster the support of all like-minded people later for TDP’s agitation. He criticised the restrictions imposed on Anna Hazare’s fast. The central government was victimising and harassing Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare for fighting against corruption. “It is not fair to impose restrictions on Anna’s fast. Let the government allow his fast.” He warned the UPA government that if it did not take serious measures against corruption, the government had to face the wrath of the public, and recalled that NTR had founded the TDP against corruption and uplift the poor. “My government had taken all the decisions in a transparent manner, introduced e-procurement and e-counselling for transferring government employees,” Naidu recalled. He said that TDP fought against Congress’ corruption during 1989-94 and again since 2004 till date. Naidu demanded action against all corrupt politicians in the country. The corrupt should face social boycott, Naidu said.Turning to farm issues, Naidu said the increasing input costs and decreasing support price for their produce were pushing the farmers into a debt-trap. The farmers in Godavari delta announced crop holiday while their counterparts in Telangana were unable to sell their cotton and those in Rayalaseema failed to raise crops in the absence of rains. Farmers in all the three regions were thus facing a lot of problems. Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, instead of visiting them, was inviting farmers to his chambers in Hyderabad for discussions. The chief minister was behaving like a landlord, the former chief minister remarked.Naidu said that TDP would prepare two-month action plan to take up a series of agitational programmes on farmers’ issue. National leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and others would visit the state on August 26. Naidu will visit Kurnool, Guntur and other districts where farmers declared crop holiday.The Politburo discussed various agitational programmes on farmers issues including launching a signature campaign, dispatching all-party teams to areas where crop holiday was declared by farmers and staging dharnas and rallies in the state.
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