Hyderabad: Accusing Andhra Pradesh government of misplacing its priorities, Opposition leader Dr YS Rajsekhar Reddy on February 20 said, the state was being pushed into a debt trap and farmers were given a raw deal by ruling TDP (Telugu Desam Party).

"Drop in productivity, lack of minimum support price, erratic power supply and forceful collection of loans were forcing farmers to commit suicides while the state economy lay in a shambles with its huge borrowings," Reddy said during the motion of thanks to the Governor's speech.

The state government, Reddy said, was not in a position to subsidise power to farmers and was neglecting agriculture and irrigation shattering the rural economy.

Intervening during the speech, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asserted that his government was giving maximum subsidy to agriculture and irrigation.

Reddy said, the severe drought has forced farmhands to migrate to other states and farmers were selling off their livestock due to lack of fodder.

Irregularities in agreements with private parties for setting up power projects and giving them undue subsidies has marred the growth of power sector, he said.

Farmers of arid lands were forced to pay the same tariff as a farmer in the rich delta region despite the high input costs of the former, he said.

Advocating his pet theory of free power to farmers, Reddy said, "it is possible if the resources are properly managed and utilised and more focus is laid on hydel power generation."

PTI