India News | T'gana: Ministers, Ruling TRS MLAs, MPs to Hold Dharna on Nov 18 over Paddy Procurement
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Intensifying his party's attack on the BJP, TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday announced that ruling TRS MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other public representatives would hold a dharna here on November 18 demanding that the NDA government make clear the paddy procurement target in the state.
Hyderabad, Nov 16 (PTI) Intensifying his party's attack on the BJP, TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday announced that ruling TRS MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other public representatives would hold a dharna here on November 18 demanding that the NDA government make clear the paddy procurement target in the state.
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"We are asking the Centre a straightforward question. We have asked the Centre for the target of paddy to be procured by FCI (Food Corporation of India) in a year. Please give that in two-three days. We want an answer. You cannot keep it pending," Rao said.
"To demand that, on behalf of Telangana farmers, the entire state cabinet, MLAs, MLCs, MPs, our ZP chairmen, cooperative bank chairmen, DCMS chairmen, district Rythu Bandhu Samiti presidents, all of us are conducting a dharna here on 18th, day after tomorrow," he told reporters here after a meeting of the TRS Legislature Party.
He said he would write a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Food and Public Distribution Minister (Piyush Goyal) on Wednesday, seeking that the Centre specify its policy on the issue.
The clarity is required as state BJP president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar has asked farmers to take up paddy cultivation during the coming 'yasangi' (summer) season crop, while the Centre appeared to suggest otherwise.
The farmers should not suffer losses by taking up paddy cultivation in the summer season on account of any confusion on the issue, he said.
If there is no response from the Centre after the dharna, people would understand as to what the NDA government's attitude is, he claimed.
The TRS government would wait for two days after the dharna and then make a clear statement on the preferred crop for summer season, he said.
The TRS would, meanwhile, continue its fight on the issue after November 18 and raise the issue in Parliament and other fora, seeking procurement of paddy in the state, he said.
The dharna would be held from 11 AM to 2 PM at the Dharna Chowk near Indira Park here November 18.
After the dharna, they would submit a memorandum to Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on the issue. "If there is no response even after that, we will chase BJP in all fora," he said.
The TRS called a meeting of its Legislature Party, alleging that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre adopted double standards and created confusion among people over paddy procurement.
Rao alleged that the NDA government followed different policies for different states. The NDA government purchased the entire paddy in Punjab, while refusing in Telangana, he said.
Hitting out at state BJP president Sanjay Kumar, Rao demanded that the BJP leader make it clear whether he stood by his alleged statement that farmers can take up paddy cultivation in the coming summer season crop.
He further alleged that the NDA government followed an unclear stance without specifying whether it would accept five lakh tons of paddy of last summer season and the produce of the ongoing rainy season.
The state agriculture minister had asked farmers to go for alternative crops in the next crop season in view of the Centre's stance, but the state BJP president called upon farmers to take up paddy cultivation, he said.
When he called the Union Minister, the latter remarked that the state BJP president should not have said so, Rao claimed.
He alleged that the state BJP president indulged in "drama" by visiting paddy procurement centres since Monday. Kumar were confronted by the farmers there, who sought a clarity on procurement and the BJP workers attacked farmers who protested, he said.
Rao took exception to Kumar visiting the procurement centres as the state government had already stated it would purchase the entire paddy from farmers.
The war of words between the ruling TRS and BJP for more than a week over paddy procurement escalated on Monday with workers of the two parties clashing by pelting stones at each other during state BJP president Sanjay Kumar's visit to paddy procurement centres in Nalgonda district.
On Tuesday, the BJP petitioned the Governor over the alleged attack on Sanjay Kumar's convoy during his visit to paddy procurement centres in Nalgonda district, holding Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao responsible for the alleged attacks.
The bone of contention is paddy procurement especially in the coming summer season crop. The BJP demands that the TRS government buy the rainy season crop without delay, while the latter says that procurement is already on.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)