TRS holds rasta roko on National Highways over paddy procurement row

Hyderabad: TRS Ministers, MLAs, leaders and workers on Wednesday held rasta roko on the National highways against the Central government over the paddy procurement issue. The rasta roko was held as per the call by the TRS working president and IT Minister KT Rama Rao. This rasta roko is one of the agitations in the series of protests to mount pressure on the Centre to purchase paddy from the farmers in the State. The rasta roko was held in Patancheru, Natirekal, Mahabubnagar, Sangareddy and other places linking the national highways. Minister V Srinivas Goud lead the rasta roko in Mahabubnagar.

On April 2, Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao came down heavily on the Central government over the paddy procurement issue. KTR said that the BJP leaders in the State and at the Centre are confusing the farmers of the State. He said that on one hand, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy says that the Centre will procure the paddy and on the other hand Union Minister Piyush Goyal says that the Centre will only buy the raw rice from the farmers. He said that the Centre has the responsibility of buying paddy from Telangana. He slammed the BJP leaders in the State for playing politics over the paddy purchase issue and added that the Central government is the anti-people government. He recalled that the Ministers had gone to meet the Union Minister Piyush Goyal regarding the same. We have asked the Central government over their stand on paddy procurement, he added.

On the Occasion, the TRS party along with farmers will hold protests at the mandal headquarters against the Central government on April 4. He urged all the farmers in the state to take part in the protests against the Central government. He added that on April 6 the TRS will hold rasta roko on 4 national highways such as Vijayawada, Delhi, Nagpur and Mumbai. On April 7, protests will be held under the leadership of all the Ministers and MLAs at all the district headquarters in the State. KTR asked to put up a black flag on the houses as a protest against the BJP at the Centre. He also asked to burn the effigy of BJP Central government Union Ministers in every village. On April 10, Ministers, MLAs every person holding president or chief post such as DCCB, MPTC, ZPTC etc will visit Delhi and hold protests against the Central government