Paddy Procurement: TRS threatens huge agitation

Hyderabad: The TRS has decided to launch a state-wide agitation demanding 'One Nation, One Procurement Policy' on the lines of the agitation the pink party had led for separate Telangana.

TRS chief and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar said this time the agitation would be a serious one and would begin from Gram Panchayat level. The decision was taken on Monday at a meeting of TRS leaders, including MPs, MLAs, MLCs and all leaders of local bodies.

The TRS demands that the Centre should treat Telangana on par with Punjab and procure entire rabi crop of paddy. "Milling etc should be the headache of the Centre. "Our job is to produce paddy. Food Corporation of India has necessary expertise, warehouses and experience hence what they do with the paddy, whether they will get parboiled rice out of it or export rice should be their headache," the CM said.

KCR said to begin with all Gram Panchayats and Mandal Parishads would adopt a resolution demanding procurement of paddy from the State. He said the Constitution has entrusted the responsibility on the Centre with regard to the food security. "It is the responsibility of the Centre to maintain buffer stocks for two to three years.

The Centre should procure paddy on MSP (minimum support price). There should be constitutional safety for the farmers," he said. "If the Centre does not relent, the entire State Cabinet would go to Delhi and launch agitation. Some farmers' organisations have also extended support to this proposed agitation," he added.

Meanwhile, KCR has dispatched a delegation of MPs and ministers to Delhi to meet the Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister and take up the issue with him. If need be, he said, he would himself go to Delhi later.

This stand is contrary to what the CMO had said on Saturday. The CMO had said that the Chief Minister would lead a delegation to Delhi and would meet the Prime Minister and other ministers on the issue of paddy procurement.