TRS, BJP in political slugfest over paddy procurement

For the last few days, farmers have been queuing up before the procurement centres set up by the state government to sell their paddy. With Telangana recording 10.6 million tonnes of paddy production this season, heavy loads of the produce have been flooding the market, making it difficult for the authorities to procure the grain at the centres.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the Bharatiya Janata Party are at loggerheads over procurement of paddy from farmers in the state this season, which is snowballing into a major controversy.

The TRS announced a counter-agitation programme, following a call given by the chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Monday. (PTI)

For the last few days, farmers have been queuing up before the procurement centres set up by the state government to sell their paddy. With Telangana recording 10.6 million tonnes of paddy production this season, heavy loads of the produce have been flooding the market, making it difficult for the authorities to procure the grain at the centres.

The authorities are issuing tokens to the farmers to bring their produce to the procurement centres at the prescribed time, instead of waiting there for days together.

The Telangana government has been demanding that the Centre procure the entire paddy produced during the season through Food Corporation of India, but the Centre has refused to buy more than the prescribed limit of 6 million tonnes. This has led to a slugfest between the TRS and the BJP in the state.

“The Centre has made it clear that it would purchase 60 lakh tonnes. It is the responsibility of the state to procure the remaining quantity,” state BJP president Bandi Sanjay.

He reminded that it was chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who had promised the farmers that the state would purchase every grain of paddy through procurement centres.

The TRS, too, announced a counter-agitation programme, following a call given by the chief minister on Monday. The party leaders and cadre would stage demonstrations and dharnas all over the state on Friday, demanding that the Centre purchase the entire quantity of paddy produced this season.

“The Centre is procuring 100 per cent paddy from Punjab to appease the agitating farmers there. Why is it not doing it in Telangana? Moreover, the Centre has also refused to buy even a single kg of rice from Telangana during the Rabi season and got a written commitment from us to this effect,” KCR pointed out.

He demanded that the BJP leaders bring pressure on the Centre to procure all the paddy produced in the state.

Rythu Bandhu Samithi president Palla Rajeshwar Reddy said the BJP’s dharnas were meaningless. He said the state government had opened 3,550 procurement centres across the state and would open more in the next few days.

“Paddy procurement has been going on at a brisk pace at all the centres and money is being deposited in the accounts of the farmers. So far, the government has spent ₹1,000 crore on paddy procurement,” he said.