TRS hoists black flags across Telangana, demands Centre to procure Yasangi paddy

Hyderabad: The ruling TRS leaders and activists intensified the ongoing stir against the Centre’s policies over paddy procurement and hoisted black flags atop their residences and streets across 12,769 gram panchayats in the State on Friday. They took to the streets in some areas and raised slogans demanding that the union government procures entire paddy […]

Hyderabad: The ruling TRS leaders and activists intensified the ongoing stir against the Centre’s policies over paddy procurement and hoisted black flags atop their residences and streets across 12,769 gram panchayats in the State on Friday. They took to the streets in some areas and raised slogans demanding that the union government procures entire paddy crop produced in Telangana.

As part of a series of agitations against the union government’s indifference towards Telangana in paddy procurement, the TRS along with farmers has been organising protests during this week. They staged demonstrations in mandal and district headquarters as well as blocking the four national highways for the last three days.

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.

TRS working president and Minister KT Rama Rao said the Centre was trying to hoodwink people, especially farmers, of Telangana. He said following an advisory from the Centre, the State government went to farmers urging them not to cultivate paddy during Rabi (Yasangi) season. But when local BJP leaders and union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy said they’ll procure it and ignore what the State government was telling them, farmers harvested 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.

The protestors also burnt the effigies of the union government condemning the discrimination towards Telangana in paddy procurement. On April 11, TRS ministers and public representatives will hold protests in New Delhi.