BKU leader Rakesh Tikait expresses solidarity with CM K Chandrashekar Rao, joins dharna at Telangana Bhawan
Agencies / New Delhi
Intensifying protest against the Centre’s paddy procurement policy, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Monday led a sit in protest in the National Capital where he warned the Narendra Modi Government at centre to respond within 24 hours if it will buy the grain from the state.
If the Central Government failed to respond, Rao threatened to take the protest across the country.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait also expressed solidarity with the Telangana Chief Minister at the dharna here.
Staging a protest at Telangana Bhawan here, Rao warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “…Don’t play with the sentiments of farmers, they have power to topple the government. History says that all governments have fallen whenever farmers were put in hardship.” “With folded hands, I urge Modiji and (Piyush) Goyalji, to procure paddy in Telangana like you buy in other states. We will wait for 24 hours for your response to our demand on paddy procurement. After that, we will take a call,” he said.
Rao further said that the country’s farmers are not beggars and are seeking minimum support price (MSP) for their produce. However, “injustice” has been meted out to Telangana farmers by not procuring the paddy from the current rabi season, he said.
About 15 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice from the current rabi season has not been procured from the state, he claimed.
Attacking the Centre for making contradictory statements on paddy procurement, the Chief Minister said while the Central Government asked the state government to shift from paddy in rabi season and when it was being done so, Union Minister Kishan Reddy and BJP State President Bandi Sanjay “instigated” farmers to grow paddy and promised to procure the entire quantity.
Rao alleged that his ministers and MPs were not treated properly and asked to wait for hours when they had approached the Union Food Minister Piyush Goyal to discuss the matter.
“Is this behaviour appropriate? Is this the seriousness of running the central government?” he asked.
The chief minister also alleged that the Centre’s policy is to corporatise the farm sector and demanded the centre to come out with a new integrated agriculture policy.
He further alleged that the BJP-ruled Central government was running a government of “conspiracy” and not a government for the people. Those who speak against it are sent notices from enforcement agencies like the CBI.
This is the Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s first protest rally in Delhi after coming to power in the state in 2014. TRS working president and Chief Minister’s son K T Ram Rao and party MPs, MLCs, MLAs, and entire Cabinet ministers sat on the dharna.