BRS leaders stage protest at Khammam agriculture market over cotton farmer’s issues
BRS leaders staged a significant protest at the agriculture market, urging the Congress government to address the issues facing cotton farmers. Key leaders, including Rajya Sabha member Vaddiraju Ravichandra and MLC Tata Madhusudhan, criticised the Central and State governments for failing to provide support prices, pushing farmers to sell their produce at lower rates.
Khammam: The district BRS ranks staged a massive protest at the agriculture market here on Tuesday demanding that the Congress government address the issues faced by cotton farmers.
Rajya Sabha member Vaddiraju Ravichandra, BRS district president MLC Tata Madhusudhan, former MLAs Kandala Upender Reddy, Sandra Venkata Veeraiah and Dr. Chandravathi Banoth, former ZP chairman Lingala Kamal Raju and senior leader Gundala Krishna took part in the protest.
Speaking to the media, the leaders alleged that the Central and State governments have failed miserably in providing support prices to cotton farmers. As the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) procurement centres were not purchasing cotton, the farmers were selling the produce to middlemen at prices lower than the MSP (Minimum Support Price).
MLC Madhusudhan said that when the BRS was in power, every grain produced by the farmers was purchased and cotton was purchased at the minimum support price. Similarly, the farmers were provided drinking water, meals and other facilities at the market. Now such facilities are available even as Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao belongs to the district.
MP Ravichandra stated that the BRS MPs would highlight the plight of the farmers in upcoming Parliament sessions. Pressure would be exerted on the Centre to lift the restrictions imposed by the CCI on cotton purchase at its procurement centres.
The BRS would continue its fight in support of the farmers until their problems were resolved. It was not right to trouble the farmers who were already facing difficulties due to decreased yield due to untimely rains and unfavourable weather conditions, the leaders said.
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