Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) gave the Centre 24 hours to deliver a conclusion. “I request the Prime Minister to start a unified paddy procurement policy. We will see for 24 hours and wait for your response,” he said.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) party led by CM KCR began their protest in Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday morning demanding for a unified paddy procurement policy.
Over 1,000 leaders from the TRS have participated in the protest. This is the first public protest by the party in the national capital, since 2014.
The Telangana government has been pressing the Centre for the procurement of the entire paddy produced in the state. Last year, a delegation of ministers from the state had even met union ministers to make a clear announcement on paddy procurement, including the quantity.
In March, a TRS delegation alleged that Union Food and Public Distribution minister Piyush Goyal had insulted Telangana by saying, “You have to make it a habit for the people of your state to eat broken rice, but we will not be buying boiled rice.” The party demanded for an unconditional apology from the Union minister.
Rakesh Singh Tikait, leader of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) joined the Telangana government’s fight in New Delhi. TRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha welcomed him at chief minister KCR’s Delhi residence.
“Our farmers are not getting the right price. We request the Central govt to procure our crop. We demand a common procurement policy. Rakesh Tikait has earlier also talked with CM K Chandrashekar Rao over agricultural issues & has come here to support us,” said Kavitha.
Telangana Agriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy said at the protest that the centre has created an unavoidable situation by ignoring Telangana ministers for a long time. “In a letter to the Prime Minister, KCR asked him to explore new avenues. The Union Minister was asked to buy grain as well as how to buy other crops, and he mocked the people of Telangana and said that they should get used to eating broken rice.”
Reddy said that the Center does not help Telangana in issues to do with water, electricity or schemes for farmer welfare like Raitu bandhu or Raitu Bhima, and are now finally leaving even the responsibility of buying crop to the state government. “People will not always believe the BJP liars who came to power on the basis of lies,” said the minister.
Telangana chief minister KCR took to the stage at the protest in Telangana Bhavan, saying that the Centre’s ministers had humiliated the Telangana ministers.
“Many of our youths died, or were imprisoned in 1969 during our struggle for Telangana state. We got our state in 2014. Since then, TRS party has in the government has focused on agriculture. We became the only state in the country to provide 24 hours of uninterrupted electricity. I can say proudly that we are the only state to do so free-of-cost. 30 lakh borewells are functional in the state today.”
KCR played video clips of Union minister Kishan Reddy and BJP Telangana state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar saying that they would buy every grain of rice grown in the state. “Where is the shameless BJP party now?” he asked. “Todays government is not a democracy. Responding to our requests of buying paddy, either the Centre doesn’t have the required money or the Prime Minister just doesn’t want to. The Centre should be ashamed.”
KCR said that they would not stop protesting until all the grain is bought. He thanked the BKU members in the gathering for their presence, and spoke about his respect for them.
“We are here today to let the Centre know about Telangana farmer’s power. We have made our point, and leave the rest to the Prime Minister. Now if they choose to heed our demands it is fine. Even if they don’t agree to our demands, it is fine. We are not so poor, we will find a solution in the next few days,” said KCR.
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