Paddy procurement: Protests will continue says Errabelli

Jangaon: It's time for the farmers to unite and exert pressure on the Central Government until it concedes to procure paddy from Telangana, Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao said. Speaking to media persons here on Wednesday, he asserted that they will intensify agitations against the Centre until it takes a positive decision on paddy procurement.

"The Centre has blithe concern towards the farmers even though the TRS MPs raised the issue in the Parliament. The Centre is biased against Telangana. It wants to suppress Telangana people," he alleged. He said that paddy production went up in the State due to the irrigation facilities from Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation project (KLIP) and Devadula lift. The land in the region is conducive to cultivate paddy, hence farmers were invariably depending on it, he said.

When the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao advised farmers not to go for paddy farming, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and BJP State president Bandi Sanjay encouraged them by giving assurance to pursue the Centre on paddy procurement, Errabelli said, accusing the saffron party leaders for changing their tack on the issue.

He said that the BJP-led Centre which tried to enforce farm laws was responsible for the death of 700 farmers. Finally, after a year-long protest, the Centre repealed the farm laws in view of elections to five State Assemblies. He criticised the Centre for reducing 15 lakh working days to 10 lakh working days in Telangana under the MGNREGS. He also criticised the Centre for not fulfilling the assurances given under the AP Reorganisation Act-2014, such as steel plant, coach factory and tribal university etc. Zilla parishad chairman Pagala Sampath Reddy was among others present at the press meet.