Five-pronged action plan to expose BJP’s lies on paddy procurement: KTR

Hyderabad: Standing by its statement of sparing no efforts to force the Centre to buy every grain of paddy produced in the State, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has decided to intensify its agitation on the paddy issue from Monday. The detailed plan of action was disclosed by the party working president and minister KT […]

Hyderabad: Standing by its statement of sparing no efforts to force the Centre to buy every grain of paddy produced in the State, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has decided to intensify its agitation on the paddy issue from Monday. The detailed plan of action was disclosed by the party working president and minister KT Rama Rao here on Saturday.

At a press conference here, Rama Rao launched a blistering attack on the BJP exposing the contradictory statements of the local BJP leaders and that of the union Minister Piyush Goyal and declared that the TRS would not rest till a solution was found to the Paddy issue. “We will continue to expose the contradictory statements” Rama Rao thundered while playing the audio of union Minister Piyush Goyal asserting that they would not buy paddy from Telangana. He also played the audio clips of State BJP chief and MP Bandi Sanjay egging on the farmers to cultivate paddy assuring that Centre would purchase every grain. The union Minister Kishan Reddy’s statements on the issue were also highlighted by Rama Rao.

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Rama Rao announced the plan of action to intensify the agitation. On April 4, there would be relay hunger strikes in all mandal headquarters by farmers; on April 6, a rasta-roko would be organised on four National Highways – Vijayawada, Mumbai, Nagpur and Bengaluru; on April 7th, protest demonstrations would be organised at all district headquarters, except Hyderabad, on April 8th black flags would be hoisted on every house in all the 12,769 Gram Panchayats and on April 11, all elected representatives including MPs, MLAs, MLCs, Mayors, ZP chairpersons, chairmen of corporations, Rythu Bandhu convenors and all other elected representatives would stage a demonstration in Delhi.

Speaking at length on the farmers’ issue, Rama Rao pointed out that Kishan Reddy and Sanjay contradicted each other with different versions on the paddy issue while Goyal came up with another version. These confusing statements are landing farmers in trouble,” he said. Rama Rao said the TRS Government urged the farmers to go for alternative crops instead of paddy in yasangi. But the BJP State president Sanjay found fault with it and instigated farmers to cultivate paddy. Sanjay also assured that he would ensure that every grain would be purchased from farmers.

“Why is he (Sanjay) not coming to the rescue of farmers?” Rama Rao asked. Kishan Reddy also said that the Central government would continue the practice of purchasing parboiled or raw rice from farmers. The TRS would not spare these ‘galli’ leaders and the leaders in Delhi as farmers were facing problems unnecessarily, Rama Rao said demanding that there should be one policy for procurement like one nation one ration.

Referring to Goyal’s statement that FCI could not export rice because of the provisions of the Food Security and Safety Act, he said he had evidence to show that exports took place on the contrary. In this connection he said a privilege motion would also be moved against Goyal for misleading the Parliament on the issue. Rama Rao requested the Centre not to impose unnecessary rules for the parboiled and raw rice keeping in view the interests of farmers in the State. If need be the Food Security and Safety Act could be amended to allow exports and help the farmers. “Can/t the Centre do this much to help the farmers?, he asked.

Following requests from officials, farmers did not cultivate paddy in over 15 lakh acres but the same was cultivated in 30 to 35 lakh acres. “Who will purchase it since the Centre is saying that it would not purchase it?” Rama Rao asked. He requested farmers and the party cadre to take part in the protests on a large scale.\

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