Hyderabad, June 30: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will arrive here tomorrow on a day-long visit to acquaint himself with the problems of farmers in drought-hit areas that are driving them to death.
Officially, 126 farmers have committed suicide in the last month since the Congress government of Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy came to power.
Singh will hop from Hyderabad to Somayaupalli village, 40 km from Kurnool town on the way to Nandyal, and Dharmapur village, 7 km from Mahboobnagar, in an air-conditioned air force chopper.
The Prime Minister’s visit to a village close to Nandyal has raised expectations in Congress circles here that he might choose to enter the Lok Sabha from the constituency once represented by P.V. Narasimha Rao, the last Congress Prime Minister before Singh. Rao had won a byelection in 1991 with a record margin after the then Congress MP, G. Pratap Reddy, vacated the seat for him.
Congress MP from Nandyal S.P.Y. Reddy has offered to vacate his seat. The MP, along with the party MLAs from Kurnool, will meet the Prime Minister at Somayaupalli village and reiterate his offer.
“It would be a matter of immense pride for us if Singh agrees to our request and opts for (the) Nandyal seat,” he said.
Singh dismissed reports that his visit is meant to discuss a safe Lok Sabha seat. He told reporters in Delhi that the purpose of his visit was to “learn about the plight of farmers and what we can do to relieve their distress”.
Chief minister Reddy also clarified that the Prime Minister had no intention to contest from Nandyal.
“He plans to enter the Lok Sabha from either Punjab or the Northeast,” Reddy said on his return from Delhi after the chief ministers’ conference.
“He will scrutinise whether the Congress government’s free supply of power to farmers is justified or not,” Reddy added.
At the two villages, Singh will meet the bereaved families and console them.
Reports said he is also likely to disburse the compensation package announced by the state government.
Before leaving for Delhi, he is expected to review the drought situation with officials.
