BRS stages Statewide protests, demands Rs 500 bonus per quintal of paddy

The BRS cadre staged the demonstrations in all Assembly constituencies following a call given by party president and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.

Hyderabad: Protests erupted across Telangana with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) hitting the roads and staging road blockades, demanding that the State government pay a bonus of Rs.500 per quintal to farmers for the paddy, irrespective of varieties as promised by the Congress during the Assembly elections.

The BRS cadre staged the demonstrations in all Assembly constituencies following a call given by party president and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.

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Protestors led by serving and former elected representatives including MLAs and MLCs of the BRS, took to the streets blocking roads and raising slogans against the anti-farmer decisions by the Congress government, highlighting its failure to procure paddy at the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

They alleged that the Congress party came to power by making promises, but took a U-turn by giving the bonus to only fine rice varieties. Former Ministers P Sabitha Indra Reddy, Ch Malla Reddy, S Niranjan Reddy, G Jagadish Reddy, Gangula Kamalakar and others participated in the protests along with the party cadre and farmers.

They wore black badges and took out rallies in several places. The BRS legislators said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was betraying the farmers by restricting the bonus to only fine rice varieties. They demanded that the government procure paddy at Minimum Support Price (MSP) and also pay a bonus of Rs.500 per quintal for both fine and coarse rice varieties.

“Due to the delay in paddy procurement, the unseasonal rains damaged the harvested crops in several places. The State government must compensate by procuring the soaked paddy and accept it notwithstanding the humidity levels,” they demanded.

Later, they submitted representations to the local revenue and agriculture officials, in this regard. Chandrashekhar Rao had on Wednesday flayed the Congress government for reneging on its promise to provide a bonus of Rs.500 per quintal to all paddy farmers.

He slammed the Chief Minister for taking a U-turn and making the bonus applicable to only fine rice varieties, betraying the farmers’ trust. Criticising the Congress for exploiting farmers for political gains, he pointed out that nearly 90 per cent farmers in Telangana cultivate coarse rice during the Yasangi (Rabi) season.

“If this restriction had been announced before the elections, people would have taught a lesson to Congress. Now that the elections are over, the Congress has returned to its deceitful ways,” he said.

The BRS demanded that the State government expedite paddy procurement and also initiate measures to procure paddy without removing wastage of 3-3.5 kg per quintal, to ensure justice to farmers for their produce.