Centre spreading lies on paddy: Minister S Niranjan Reddy

Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy on Tuesday criticised the Centre for adopting dual standards on paddy procurement. While leaving for Delhi to take up the paddy row with the Centre a team of ministers left from Shamshabad International Airport in Hyderabad.

Addressing the media, Niranjan Reddy with ministers Kamalakar and Puvvada Ajay Kumar stated that the Union Minister was spreading untruth on the paddy. The Centre cannot deny our paddy as it takes from Punjab. Why such partiality towards our State which is ready with paddy of Yasangi season. The State government will appeal to the union minister to procure our paddy from the State. The Centre should lift the stocks from FCI and then provide special rail rakes to shift the same, he said. As the Centre is not doing so in this regard, we are intensifying our protest, said Niranjan Reddy.

The Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will take a call if the Centre denies lifting the paddy stocks through FCI. It is for the Centre to shift total stocks of the paddy, either it is raw rice or boiled rice without any objection, he said. The Centre says to get only raw rice and not the boiled. Our team will meet with the union minister and appeal the same and hope to get a solution, the ministers said, if not, KCR will come up with a plan of action, he said.