HYDERABAD: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday claimed victory over the TRS government after Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao announced the state cabinet’s decision to purchase paddy from farmers in Telangana.
“It is a victory for the Telangana BJP, farmers of the state, and our party workers,” state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar told reporters.
Addressing a press conference, he said as promised to Telangana’s farmers, his party forced the Chief Minister to backtrack on his earlier decision that the state will not purchase paddy this season.
“What the BJP launched was a ‘dharma poratam’,” he said, adding: “Justice will always win. Our protest yesterday in the city demanding that the Chief Minister either buy paddy, or step down, received tremendous support. He received inputs from the intelligence wing of the police that the farmers of the state now believe and support the BJP.” The Chief Minister now fears that he will lose power with the farmers, and others turning against him, he added.
Sanjay said the paddy purchase decision could have been announced long back.
“Many farmers sold their paddy at a lower price because of the delay by the state. Now the state government must identify every farmer who sold paddy at less than MSP of Rs 1,950 per quintal, and make good the difference,” Sanjay demanded. He said the next goal of the BJP is to force the state government to roll back the recently announced power tariff hikes. “When the electricity bills come on the first of May, they will break the backs of the people. The BJP demands that the CM immediately announce a roll back of the tariff hikes,” he said.
