TRS cadre raises war cry against Centre on paddy

HYDERABAD: The rank and file of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) hit the streets across Telangana State on Friday to step up pressure on the Centre to procure paddy from the state during the rabi season.

Bringing back memories of Telangana statehood agitation, all key leaders of the TRS, including ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other elected representatives, staged a three-hour-long dharna from 10 am to 1 pm in their respective constituencies in all districts demanding the Centre to make a clear announcement to purchase the entire paddy yield from the state.

The ruling party leaders also demanded the Centre to educate farmers on what prompted the TRS to come onto the roads after a long time after the formation of Telangana state in 2014.

Slogans of “Jai Telangana” and “Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan” reverberated across the state as TRS leaders declared all-out war against the BJP-led government at the Centre. They vowed to intensify the agitation in the coming days until the Centre revoked its decision on paddy procurement.

The TRS claimed that nearly five lakh people including TRS cadre and farmers took part in the dharnas and made them a grand success.

As per the call given by TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, the rank and file of the party stormed onto the roads in all the Assembly constituencies carrying pink flags and placards with slogans criticising the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP Telangana president Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

TRS working president and minister K.T. Rama Rao led the ‘maha dharna’ organised in his home constituency Sircilla, while ministers T. Harish Rao held dharna in Siddipet, Puvvada Ajay Kumar in Khammam, A. Indrakaran Reddy in Nirmal, Errabelli Dayakar Rao in Warangal, Vemula Prashanth Reddy in Nizamabad, S. Niranjan Reddy in Wanaparthy.

In Hyderabad, the Dharna Chowk near Indira Park became the protest venue where the TRS leaders including ministers Mohd Mahmood Ali, Talasani Srinivas Yadav and others staged a dharna while labour minister Chamakura Malla Reddy held dharna in Medchal, Shamirpet and Ghatkesar.

Ministers and TRS leaders accused the BJP of adopting ‘double standards’ on paddy procurement from Telangana.

While the BJP-led government at the Centre had been refusing to purchase the entire paddy produced in Telangana and asking the state government to encourage cultivation of alternative crops, they alleged the BJP state leaders had been misleading farmers to cultivate paddy to gain political mileage.

They also questioned the Centre as to answer why it was purchasing the entire paddy crop from Punjab, while denying the same to Telangana.

The TRS leaders urged farmers not to sow paddy during the rabi believing the statements of BJP Telangana leaders as it would only land them in huge losses. They requested farmers to join hands with the TRS to intensify further and force the Centre to purchase paddy from Telangana as usual.