Telangana black flags Centre

Hyderabad: A determined TRS intensified its agitation against the BJP government at the Centre on its biased paddy procurement policy on Friday, when party leaders, activists, farmers and the general public hoisted black flags atop their residences and major junctions across the 12,769 gram panchayats in the State. They took to the streets in some […]

Hyderabad: A determined TRS intensified its agitation against the BJP government at the Centre on its biased paddy procurement policy on Friday, when party leaders, activists, farmers and the general public hoisted black flags atop their residences and major junctions across the 12,769 gram panchayats in the State.

They took to the streets in some areas and raised slogans demanding that the union government procure the entire paddy crop produced in the State during the current Yasangi season. As part of a series of agitations against the union government’s indifference and discrimination towards Telangana in paddy procurement, the TRS along with farmers has been organising protests this week. They staged demonstrations in mandal and district headquarters as well as blocking the four national highways for the last three days.

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At around 11 am on Friday, several Ministers, MPs, legislators and other elected representatives registered their protest by hoisting black flags on their camp offices across the State. Ministers A Indrakaran Reddy, Ch Mallareddy, Gangula Kamalakar, S Niranjan Reddy, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Satyavathi Rathod, V Srinivas Goud, Vemula Prashanth Reddy and P Ajay Kumar among others led the protests and hoisted black flags atop their residences as well as camp offices.

The Ministers and other elected representatives along with scores of other TRS leaders stood on the roofs with black flags to condemn the Centre’s refusal to procure paddy from the State. Several Ministers and legislators took out bike rallies in their respective constituencies, with hundreds of protesters carrying black flags.

The protestors also burnt the effigies of the union government condemning the discrimination towards Telangana in paddy procurement. They declared that the protests will continue till the Narendra Modi government agrees to procure the entire paddy produce from Telangana. They reminded that people especially farmers in the country had already brought the Centre on its knees for pursuing anti-farmers’ policies.

Speaking to the media, TRS working president and Minister KT Rama Rao said the Centre was trying to hoodwink people, especially farmers, of Telangana. He said that following an advisory from the Centre, the State government went to farmers urging them not to cultivate paddy during Yasangi season. But when local BJP leaders and union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy assured the farmers that they would ensure paddy procurement by the Centre and asked farmers to ignore the State government’s advice, carmers cultivated paddy once again this year on 35 lakh acres of land. “Who will take responsibility? ‘Dilli wali BJP’ or the silly BJP in Telangana?” he questioned.

In its next step, the TRS is all set to take the fight to New Delhi where a day-long protest will be held on April 11. TRS sources said around 1,500 elected representatives including Ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and others will participate in the demonstration. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is also likely to participate in the protests. They said the meeting will expose the hypocrisy of the BJP on procuring paddy from Telangana farmers.

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