TRS MPs walkout of Lok Sabha over paddy

Hyderabad: TRS MPs staged a walkout from Lok Sabha on Tuesday after Speaker Om Birla failed to respond to their pleas for discussion on paddy procurement from Telangana State. Earlier, the MPs along with other Opposition members disrupted the proceedings in the Lower House with their vocal protests on the hike in fuel prices, paddy […]

Hyderabad: TRS MPs staged a walkout from Lok Sabha on Tuesday after Speaker Om Birla failed to respond to their pleas for discussion on paddy procurement from Telangana State. Earlier, the MPs along with other Opposition members disrupted the proceedings in the Lower House with their vocal protests on the hike in fuel prices, paddy procurement and other issues, forcing two successive adjournments. The TRS members rushed into the Well of the House, holding placards demanding justice before staging a walkout when the Speaker failed to respond.

Soon after the House met at 11 am, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and DMK’s TR Baalu demanded a discussion on the hike in fuel prices, which were raised 13 times in the last two weeks. TRS Lok Sabha floor leader Nama Nageshwara Rao moved an adjournment motion for discussion on procurement of paddy lying in market yards with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) not lifting them besides a national foodgrains procurement policy.

---

When Om Birla continued with the Question Hour, members from Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress and the Left parties stormed the Well of the House and raised slogans against the Modi government. The Shiv Sena and NCP members too joined the opposition protests.

The TRS members too were in the Well of the House, waving placards and raising the issue of paddy procurement in Telangana. The House reverberated with slogans seeking justice for Telangana in paddy procurement. They held placards that read ‘No injustice to growing State’, ‘Demand for national policy on food grain procurement’ and ‘Policy on paddy procurement’ among others, obstructing the live telecast of the proceedings.

As the protests continued, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon. The TRS members, however, declared that they were staging a walkout in protest against the Central government for not taking up discussion on paddy procurement and the national policy on foodgrain procurement.

Though the House reassembled at noon, similar scenes were witnessed and BJP member Rajendra Agarwal, who was in the chair, adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm, amid protests. In Rajya Sabha too, TRS Rajya Sabha deputy floor leader KR Suresh Reddy raised the issue pertaining to the procurement of parboiled rice in Telangana. As the Chair did not accept the TRS notice under Rule 267 on the issue, the party walked out of the House. Later, the TRS MPs staged a demonstration at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the Parliament premises. They declared that the TRS will continue with its protests until the Centre comes up with a uniform foodgrains procurement policy.

---

Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.

Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .

---