Mahabubabad: TRS protests against Centre on paddy issue

Mahabubabad: The plight of farmers will never be changed in the country with the leaders who have little knowledge about agriculture are at the helm of affairs, Minister for Tribal Welfare Satyavathi Rathod said. Speaking at the 'Chavu Dappu' Statewide protest against the Centre here on Monday, she accused the Narendra Modi government of ignoring the plight of farmers.

"BJP is yet to learn lessons from the year-long protest of the farmers in Delhi. The Centre repealed the three farm laws only after the farmers taught it a lesson through protest. In Telangana, despite the vociferous demand of the farmers to purchase the paddy, the Centre has been doing everything to escape from the responsibility," Rathod said.

In this Kharif, farmers cultivated paddy in about 62 lakh acres. The onus is on Centre to procure 70 lakh MT, but it's insisting to buy 40 lakh MT only. On the other hand, the State so far procured 52 lakh MT paddy from the farmers and more to arrivals to come, she said.

Though the onus is on Centre to purchase the paddy, the BJP State president Bandi Sanjay wants the State to procure on its own. It's unfortunate that a person who doesn't even know about the farming and purchases has become the State BJP chief, she alleged.

On the other hand, the State government is doing everything for the welfare of the farmers. She demanded the Centre to appoint a Minister to look after the farm purchases.

Mahabubabad MLA B Shankar Naik also launched a tirade against the Centre for not heeding to the justifiable demand of the farmers. He accused the Centre of being anti-farmer. He also demanded the Centre to purchase paddy produced in the Yasangi (Rabi). The TRS cadres burned the effigy of Narendra Modi besides submitting a memorandum to a buffalo.