TRS blocks NHs over paddy purchase

Traffic on the national highways connecting Bengaluru, Mumbai, Nagpur and Vijayawada came to a halt between 9 am and 12 noon, as the TRS party leaders and cadre staged a rasta roko protests at several places over paddy procurement.

Thousands of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders and workers on Wednesday blocked four national highways for over three hours as part of the party’s week-long protests against what they called the Centre’s indifferent attitude towards paddy procurement from the state.

Braving the scorching summer, the TRS functionaries sat on a dharna (protests) demanding that the Centre procure the entire paddy from Telangana without any conditions. (HT Photo)

Traffic on the national highways connecting Bengaluru, Mumbai, Nagpur and Vijayawada came to a halt between 9 am and 12 noon, as the TRS party leaders and cadre staged a rasta roko at several places.

Braving the scorching summer, the TRS functionaries sat on a dharna demanding that the Centre procure the entire paddy from Telangana without any conditions. They raised slogans against the Modi government’s alleged anti-farmer policies.

State endowments minister A Indrakaran Reddy led the TRS protesters in blocking the Hyderabad-Nagpur national highway at Kadthal in Adilabad district, while transport minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar, along with the other TRS leaders, took part in the dharna at Khammam.

“We shall not rest till the Centre comes down on its knees and purchases every grain that is produced in the state. The state BJP leaders, who made a tall promise that they would make the Centre purchase the entire paddy produced during the Rabi season, have run away from the fields,” Indrakaran Reddy said, addressing the party cadre at Kadthal.

Across different parts of the state, local MLAs, district TRS presidents and party workers, apart from a large number of farmers, squatted on the highways alleging discrimination by the Centre against Telangana in paddy procurement.

Traffic also came to a grinding halt at Bhoothpur on Bengaluru national highway, Kodad, Suryapet, Nakirekal and Choutuppal on Vijayawada national highway and Sangareddy on Mumbai national highway.

Trucks, bus services and containers were forced to halt on the highways for three hours before the TRS workers ended their protests around noon.