Congress workers stage protests on paddy issue

Karimnagar: Following the call given by the TPCC, Congress leaders and workers staged protests across the erstwhile Karimnagar district on Tuesday demanding the State and Central governments procure Yasangi paddy.

At a protest in Karimnagar, former MP Ponnam Prabhakar criticised the TRS and BJP governments for playing dramas on a daily basis to mislead the farmers about buying yasangi paddy. He said that 7.52 lakh acres of paddy was being cultivated by farmers in Yasangi across the joint district.

It was likely that 35 lakh metric tonnes of paddy would be harvested across the joint district. The farmers were confused by the TRS ranks and leaders who were holding dharnas in Delhi.

BC Welfare Minister Gangula Kamalakar had failed miserably as a minister from the district in setting up the procurement centres. There was a lack of clarity on where to set up centres through PACS and DCMS, failure to take action on gunny bags, weighing machines and infrastructure at purchasing centres, he alleged.

BJP State president Bandi Sanjay Kumar who told the farmers not to care about CM KCR and Ministers and said that he would buy grain till the last grain, he had the guts to convince Prime Minister Narendra Modi to buy parboiled rice, Prabhakar questioned.

City Congress president Komatireddy Narender Reddy and the party membership in charge Suprabhata Rao said that during the KCR regime, farmers were being financially harmed by the machinations of the middlemen and hence farmers were committing suicide due to financial difficulties.

Former minister and Manthani MLA D Sridhar Babu said it was not right for the government and the concerned ministers to hold dharnas. The BJP and the TRS should feel shameful for not being able to buy the paddy though they could buy votes.

MLC Jeevan Reddy who staged a protest at Jagtial, warned that if the State and Central governments failed to buy Yasangi paddy, a siege would be laid to the houses of TRS and BJP Ministers, MLAs, MPs and MLCs in the State.

The Central and State governments are harming the farmers with their politics. The paddy procurement has to take place as it was done in the past through FCI. Civil Supplies Minister Kamalakar lacked knowledge of paddy procurement, he alleged.