Launching a fresh tirade against the BJP government at the Centre, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president and Minister for Municipal Administration and Information Technology K T Rama Rao alleged that the BJP leaders were resorting to “blatant lies” over paddy procurement issue unable to digest the farmer-friendly TRS government in Telangana.
Addressing the Rythu Nirasana Deeksha in Sircilla town on Thursday, Mr Rao said the BJP State president Bandi Sanjay and Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy asked the farmers to cultivate paddy in the yasangi (rabi) season even as the State government tried to dissuade the farmers from growing paddy in yasangi and encouraged them to go in for alternative crops to safeguard their interests.
The BJP leaders assured to ensure purchase of every grain of paddy by the Centre and instead of fulfilling their promises they have now launched a misinformation campaign against the State government with narrow political machinations, he charged.
They have created confusion among farmers and provoked them to go for paddy in rabi season, he alleged, adding that paddy was cultivated in about 30 to 35 lakh acres in Telangana this rabi season.
Mr Rao substantiated his charges by citing the video clips of speeches by both the BJP leaders, which were played during the protest programme.
“The Centre is duty bound to procure paddy from farmers through the Food Corporation of India (FCI), a statutory body to ensure national food security,” Mr Rao pointed out, alleging that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was trying to shirk from its bounden responsibility and hoodwink farmers.
He said the TRS MPs served a notice of privilege motion against the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal for “misleading” the Parliament over the issue of export of boiled rice to other countries. “The Union Minister made a misleading statement that there was no demand for para-boiled rice. But the fact is that the Government of India is exporting millions of tonnes of boiled rice to various countries,” Mr Rao said, alleging that Mr Goyal made insulting remarks against people of Telangana.
He alleged that the BJP dispensation at the Centre imposed backbreaking burden of fuel and LPG price rise on common man betraying people’s mandate after coming to power on the promise of “Achhe Din.”
The ongoing agitation by the TRS on behalf of farmers of the State will be further intensified, he vowed, asserting that all the members of the State cabinet, the TRS MPs, MLAs and other local body elected representatives will hold a massive protest in New Delhi on April 11.
