Hyderabad: The ruling TRS, helmed by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, started its "Maha Dharna" at Dharna Chowk in Hyderabad on Thursday, demanding that the Centre come clean on paddy procurement. The TRS delegation will meet Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan at Raj Bhavan after the rally ends at 2 PM and deliver a memorandum requesting her assistance in the matter.
The whole State Cabinet, as well as MPs, MLAs, MLCs, Zilla Parishad chairpersons, and other elected officials, gathered at Dharna Chowk to express their solidarity with the farmers and conduct a protest. Besides TRS' ministers, the event drew a large crowd of TRS cadre and farmers from across the state.
Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao addressed the crowd, saying, "The TRS will continue to battle till the Centre lays out its stance on paddy procurement." The Chief Minister demanded, "We firmly protest against discrimination against Telangana State and against the Union government's anti-farmer policies." He also demanded that the Central government should withdraw the three farm laws.
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Food Corporation of India had earlier announced that it had bought more paddy from Telangana. Telangana agriculture has previously been praised by the Union Agriculture Minister and secretaries, but the Central government is suddenly shifting its position, said KCR.
Agriculture Minister Niranjan Reddy alleged that the central government was not even buying grains as per the agreement. He said crops were planted on 63 lakh acres during the monsoon season and 5,000-grain purchasing centres have been set up in the state, and 10 lakh metric tonnes of grain has been procured so far. He was incensed that the BJP was making unnecessary rhetoric at the paddy procurement centres.
(With inputs from ABP Desam — It is a Telugu platform of ABP News. For more news, commentary and latest happenings from two Telugu states, follow https://telugu.abplive.com/)