Telangana CM KCR flays Centre, announces opening of paddy procurement centres in state

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said the state government would open paddy procurement centres in the interest of farmers. Flaying the NDA government at the Centre, Rao announced that he would soon convene a meeting of economists and farmers' leaders from all states to formulate an "integrated new agriculture policy" which would provide Constitutional safeguards to MSP, said a PTI report.

Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting, KCR claimed that his party has "sufficiently" exposed the NDA government for not agreeing to the demand and over its "wicked" anti-farmer attitude. "It is the duty of the Government of India to maintain the buffer stocks in the interest of the food security of the country, which you (the Centre) are forgetting, which you are escaping, which you are running away," PTI quoted him as saying.

Demanding that the Centre procure paddy produced in Telangana during rabi season, Rao, who staged a dharna in Delhi on Monday, had set a 24-hour deadline to the Centre to respond to the demand for procuring paddy.

Rao said the TRS government also sought to remind the Centre by holding protests about its responsibility to procure the farmers' produce, adding that the Modi government has waived loans to the tune of Rs 10.50 lakh crore for big corporates and those who cheated banks.

The Centre, however, is not ready to bear funds worth Rs 3,500 crore for the sake of farmers from a state. The nearly Rs 3,500 crore loss is due to the paddy produced during rabi season in Telangana yielding less quantity of rice as crop is harvested during summer.

Earlier on Monday, Rao had indicated that his government would not leave farmers in the lurch, adding that paddy procurement centres would be opened in the state from Wednesday in all villages.

He had alleged that the intellectuals are of the view that the NDA government and BJP hurt the country in multiple ways and also foment communalism. The BJP provoked communal feelings by raking up issues like the movie 'Kashmir Files' and the terrorist attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama for political mileage in spite of price rise and other negative factors, he claimed.

Referring to the violence during Ram Navami processions, Rao reportedly said that stone-pelting incidents happened in poll-bound states and not others. In a state like Karnataka, where Bengaluru is hailed as the Silicon Valley of India, there have been bans, including on hijab, halal meat, and not buying goods from shops run by Muslims, he said, adding that such issues would have a backlash.

Talking about the meeting of economists and farmers' representatives proposed to be organised by him in Hyderabad, KCR said the event would unveil an "integrated new agriculture policy". 

Notably, the state government's decision to open paddy procurement centres came against the backdrop of a row over the issue between the TRS government and the Centre. While the state demanded procurement of paddy, the Centre said it would procure raw rice.

Meanwhile, Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar described the state government's decision to open paddy procurement centres as his party's victory. 

(With Agency Inputs)

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