Telangana: TRS To Stage 'Mahadharna' Tomorrow Over Centre's Policy Of Paddy Procurement In State

CM K Chandrashekar Rao said that he, along with TRS MLAs, MPs and MLCs, would stage the protest at Indira Park from 11am to 2pm tomorrow.

Telangana: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao announced that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) would hold a 'Mahadharna' (protest) in Hyderabad on November 18 to seek clarification from the Central Government over paddy procurement in the state. 

KCR said he would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central ministers concerned on Wednesday, demanding the Centre to procure paddy from Telangana during the Rabi season. The Centre should procure paddy from Telangana the way it is doing from Punjab, the chief minister said. "You can't have one policy for a region and another for a different region," he added.   

KCR said the state government had been waiting for 50 days but the Centre has not made its stand clear. Referring to the earlier stand by the Centre that it will not procure parboiled rice from Telangana, the chief minister said the Centre should clarify its call on paddy procurement.

CM K Chandrashekar Rao said that he, along with TRS MLAs, MPs and MLCs, would stage the protest at Indira Park from 11am to 2pm tomorrow. The TRS leaders would also visit the Raj Bhavan to submit a letter with all their demands to Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.     

Briefing the reporters after a meeting with the party office bearers in Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday, KCR said the TRS would be after the BJP which is adopting a 'dual policy' on the issue of paddy procurement.

He further demanded the BJP state chief Bandi Sanjay to clarify whether he would still stick to his statement asking the farmers to sow paddy crops in Rabi season and not worry about selling or tender an apology to them.     

The chief minister said after the November 18 dharna, the TRS government would wait for two more days and then decide on the next course of action. He, however, appealed to the farmers not to suffer losses by going in for paddy cultivation believing the statements of the state BJP leader.

Earlier on November 12, The TRS leaders had staged a dharna in all the Assembly constituencies in Telangana demanding the Centre to procure paddy from the state.