Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Cabinet ministers and elected representatives led by its president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao staged a ‘Maha Dharna’ at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park here on Thursday demanding that the Center procure paddy produced in the Rabi season.
Besides KCR’s entire Cabinet, Rythu Bandhu Samithi workers and farmers from various parts of the state also participated in the dharna. The state-wide ‘Maha Dharna’ would be the party’s second protest programme in six days against the Center’s discrimination in paddy procurement. The ruling party hit the roads on 12 November demanding the Center procure paddy produced in the Rabi season.
After concluding the Maha Dharna in the afternoon, the TRS leaders will present a memorandum to Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan at the Raj Bhavan seeking her intervention on the issue. For the first time after the formation of the state, KCR participated in the Maha Dharna.
The Chief Minister had earlier alleged that the BJP is adopting a dual policy on paddy procurement. The Central government should clarify the target (for paddy) for the entire year and the quantity of raw rice it wants to procure in the coming Yasangi (Rabi) season.
Even as the paddy procurement issue continues to generate a lot of heat across Telangana, the Chief Minister on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to enhance the Center’s procurement target from the existing 40 lakh metric tonnes (MTs) of rice to 90% of the total production in the present Kharif reason. He also pointed out that the Center had already purchased more than 95% of Punjab’s wheat and paddy at MSP through FCI and other agencies.
Earlier, KCR had declared that the pink party (TRS) would introduce resolutions in the state Assembly against the Centre’s new farm laws. He said the elected representatives of the party would question the Center at various times on the issues till it gives a clarification.
