Save paddy farmers: Errabelli Dayakar Rao to Centre

Jangaon: Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao has come down heavily on the BJP-led Central government for not coming forward to procure the paddy produced in the Rabi. The Minister who participated in dharnas at Raiparthy, Thorrur, Pedda Vangara, Kodakandla and Devaruppula mandal headquarters in his Palakurthi constituency said that the Narendra Modi government which written off nearly Rs 11 lakh crore of corporates is not ready to procure paddy from Telangana farmers that costs around Rs 11,000 crore.

Errabelli accused the State BJP leaders of betraying the farmers. BJP State president Bandi Sanjay who time and again said that he would pursue the Centre to procure paddy, and Union Minister for Tourism G Kishan Reddy who advised farmers to cultivate paddy have now backtracked on their words, Errabelli said.

Although the farmers cultivated paddy in just 30 lakh acres instead of usual 50 lakh acres, the Centre is not ready to procure the output. He demanded the Centre to procure the entire paddy from Telangana as it was doing in case of Punjab. The Centre should see all the States equally. There should not be any double standards, he added.

The BJP government which promised to double the income of the farmers by 2022 has in fact brought in contentious farm laws, and later repealed them under pressure from farmers and apologised to them, he said. As many as 700 farmers died during that protest, he recalled.

Ridiculing BJP leaders' demand for KCR's resignation, Errabelli advised them not to politicise the issues faced by the farmers. He dared the BJP leaders to tell what it has done for the people during its regime. The Centre is yet to fulfill its assurances given under AP Reorganisation Act – 2014 to Telangana, he said, referring to coach factory, steel plant and tribal university etc. All the State ministers will stage a protest in Delhi on April 11, demanding the Centre to rescue the paddy farmers, he said.