Hyderabad: TRS MPs raise stink over denial of Turmeric Board

Delhi/Hyderabad: The Union government's decision to set up the regional spice board in Nizamabad is set to kick up a political storm in Telangana.

TRS MPs in New Delhi raised strong objections to the Centre's rejection to the long-pending demand to establish Turmeric Board in the district.

TRS parliamentary party leader K Keshava Rao said that the Regional Spice Board will not address the plights of the turmeric farmers who have been demanding for Turmeric Board to protect their interests mainly providing remunerative price to their produce and marketing facilities to other States and countries.

"Gross injustice is meted out to the Telangana turmeric farmers by not accepting their demand to set up a Turmeric Board," Rao said, adding that not a single farmer demanded for regional spice board in Nizamabad. The TRS MPs already pleaded with Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal to withdraw the proposal to the closure of Spice Board office functioning in Warangal before opening the regional board in Nizamabad.

TRS leader and Rajya Sabha MP B Prakash said that the Union Minister has given only the assurance of opening a turmeric cell in the regional board and turned down the demand for exclusive Turmeric Board in Telangana.

The MPs also took strong exception to the BJP leader and Nizamabad MP D Arvind's claim that he succeeded in sanctioning a spice board for T State. The MP made the promise of establishment of the turmeric board during the Lok Sabha elections held in 2019. After winning the elections, he took a U-turn on his promise and deceived the farmers. They said the farming community from Nizamabad already launched an agitation and the TRS will support their demand.