The BJP has kept up the pressure on the Congress government in Telangana on paddy procurement, accusing the administration of not being able to live up to the farmers’ expectations. “The farmers’ plight after the Assembly elections is like falling from a frying pan into the fire after experiencing the BRS rule earlier and now the six-month Congress rule,” charged legislature party leader A. Maheshwar Reddy, on Friday.
Addressing a press conference at the State office, he claimed that over the last 45 days, the farmers have been facing a lot of troubles in disposing of their produce due to the “inefficient and corrupt paddy procurement process” across the State.
The unseasonal rains have only compounded the problems of the farmers as their produce has been lying in the open. There have also been instances when due to the lightning some of the farmers lost their lives as they have been guarding the paddy stocks, he said.
Mr. Maheshwar Reddy also claimed that payment to the farmers is being cut under the guise of wet paddy and other parameters. About three to four kilos of paddy is also being removed. Farmers are being denied fee receipts while the rice millers are also trying to outsmart farmers in their own manner, charged the MLA.
The BJP leader claimed that the matter was brought to the notice of Minister of Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy but there has been no appropriate response. It was also not right on the part of the government to put up fresh conditions for payment of ₹500 bonus per quintal and restricting Rythu Bandhu to those with five acres and less, he said.
The MLA also contested the government’s claim of having procured a record 30 lakh quintals of paddy and urged the Civil Supplies department to expedite the process without “harassing” farmers. The party will stand by the farmers till the last paddy bag is procured, he added.
Disqualify BRS candidate
BJP’s Medak candidate and former MLA M. Raghunandan Rao has urged the Election Commission to take steps to disqualify BRS candidate P. Venkatarami Reddy and take action as per law following the seizure of a large amount of cash and cases registered against the latter and six other sitting BRS MLAs, including former Minister T. Harish Rao, on the charges of resorting to distributing money to influence voters during the election campaign earlier this month.
In a representation to Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj, Mr. Raghunandan Rao accused the BRS candidate of violating the model code of conduct and committing serious election offences including bribery with a case registered at Chegunta police station. Police conducted a raid at a farmhouse on the information provided by Mr. Raghunandan Rao where 27 covers were seized with each containing the number of polling booth, name of village by voter numbers and payment of ₹500 each.
The money was distributed in this manner in all the six Assembly segments of Siddipet, Dubbak, Gajwel, Patancheru, Sangareddy and Narsapur, he alleged and pointed out that P. Radha Kishan Rao, the arrested DCP in the phone tapping case, had also confessed to have been involved in money distribution during the last Assembly elections in association with the BRS candidate using police vehicles.
