Govt to protect paddy farmers' interests, says Jagadish Reddy

Nalgonda: Minister for Energy Jagadish Reddy has sought to allay apprehensions among paddy farmers, saying the state government will protect their interests.

Accompanied by Home Minister Mahmood Ali, Reddy participated in a protest against the Central government's reckless attitude towards paddy procurement in Telangana. He said the Centre was jealous of rapid growth of farming sector as the TRS government was giving equal importance to development and welfare under the leadership of CM KCR. He described the BJP ruling at the Centre as worst and feudalistic. He alleged it was creating unrest in the country by raising communal tensions to derive a political mileage.

Farmers in the country were suffering hardships as the BJP-led Central government was ignoring the implementation of the Food Security Act, by indulging in double standards with regard to the paddy procurement in Yasangi season.

Reddy questioned the whereabouts of lotus party leaders who misled the innocent farmers by encouraging them to go in for paddy cultivation in the state with the false assurance that the Centre would indeed procure all the produce in the summer.

Minister Mahmood Ali listed out the TRS government welfare schemes for the uplift of farmers and demanded that the Central government buy the paddy from the farmers of Telangana unconditionally.

ZP Chairman Banda Narender Reddy, MLAs KancharlaBhupal Reddy,ChirumarthiLingaiaih, Ravindra Kumar, NomulaBhagath, MLC Koti Reddy, Balaraju Yadav and a number of farmers participated in the protest.

Similar protests were held in Suryapet and Bhongir by the TRS people's representatives.