Paddy crisis: Singireddy demands Centre to shun its stubborn attitude

Hyderabad/New Delhi: Agriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy demanded the Centre to shun its adamant attitude towards Telangana and procure paddy from the State without any conditions.

The Minister who was in Delhi to take part in the TRS-led State government's dharna on the issue of paddy procurement on Sunday asked the Centre not to subject farmers, who toiled for raising crops, to hardships.

"The Centre should not underestimate the brewing anger of farmers and adopt a stubborn attitude in a bid to make its stand on the issue win. It should start procurement of paddy from Telangana," he said.

Stating that the Deeksha of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in Delhi on Monday would be historical, the Minister said, "It is not an ordinary issue when an entire State has reached Delhi to register its protest. The Centre should not have dragged the issue to thus far." He reminded the Centre of how when the Food Corporation of India and the then Union Civil Supplies ministry rejected to procure discoloured rice during the then PM Atal Behari Vajpayee's tenure in 2001-2002.

The Centre had come forward to procure the discoloured rice in the public interest following the Punjab government's agitation over the issue.

He also pointed out Akali Dal leader and then Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal wrote a letter to the Centre in support of farmers' agitations in Delhi. Singireddy stressed that it would not go down well for the Centre to take such a stand, and demanded procurement of paddy from Telangana without any conditions.