Centre insulting Telangana people, flays Errabelli Dayakar Rao

Hanumakonda: The BJP-led Central government is yet to give clarity over procurement of paddy much to the distress of farmers, Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao said, speaking to media persons here on Wednesday. He criticised the Centre for keeping the paddy issue in abeyance for so long.

"The Centre needs to clarify whether it purchases parboiled or raw paddy, so that the farmers could finalise their strategy for the Rabi season," Errabelli said. The Minister demanded the Centre to procure the entire paddy produced in Kharif through FCI besides allowing farmers to cultivate paddy in the ensuing Rabi also. Demanding the Centre to clarify why it preferred raw paddy instead of parboiled rice, he sought it to continue its age-old practice of paddy procurement in the State.

The Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has been kept waiting for an appointment with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union Ministers in Delhi. It's nothing but insulting the people of Telangana, he said. He said that the BJP leaders in Telangana G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay didn't have much knowledge about farming.

Although the PM sought apologies from the farmers for the Centre's legislation over farm laws, the BJP leaders in the State haven't learned anything, he added. Stating that the Electricity law is likely to push the farmers into distress, he demanded the Centre not to implement it.

"It's been more than seven years since the bifurcation of the united Andhra Pradesh, however, the Centre is yet to fulfil its assurances given to Telangana. On the other hand, the Centre is dilly dallying over constituting a tribunal to resolve sharing of Krishna river waters between Telangana and AP," Errabelli said. He demanded the Centre to announce ex-gratia to those farmers who lost their lives during the year-long protest in Delhi, opposing the three farm laws.

Narsampet MLA Peddi Sudarshan Reddy, Bhupalpally MLA Gandra Venkatramana Reddy and senior TRS leader S Samma Rao were among others present.