Telangana only State to implement MSP announced by the Centre: TS Agri Minister Niranjan Reddy

Hyderabad: Telangana State Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy questioned whether those who are protesting against the new agriculture laws will be treated as anarchists?

The Minister spoke after inaugurating the Rythu Vedikas at Buddugonda and Mahabubabad and attended the swearing-in ceremony of the new market committee at Burgamphad on Saturday.

Mounting an all-out attack on the Centre, the Agriculture Minister said that if the Centre would not wake up from its slumber the farmer agitation which is now only in Punjab and Harayana would further spread like wildfire on the line of separate Telangana agitation and wash it out.

Posing a series of questions to the Centre whether those protesting Indians abroad and a scientist Harindra Pal refused to receive an award from the hands a central minister would also be treated as anti-nationals?

He asked the BJP led NDA government at the Centre to shun its mindset that whatever it does is the law of the land.

Niranjan Reddy alleged that the new agriculture acts without a mention of contract farming, scrapping of essential commodities act and no mention of MSP would turn into hanging ropes to the farmers.

He said that the MSP was introduced to give confidence to the farmers to continue the cultivation of their agricultural lands. Then, "Why MSP has not mentioned in the new agriculture laws," he questioned.

Further, he claimed that the Telangana is the only government implementing the MSP announced by the Centre for 29 varieties of crops.

Niranjan Reddy said that the new agriculture laws allow traders to purchase crop-yields anywhere than empowering farmers to sell their agricultural produce anywhere. He criticised the Centre saying that the new agriculture laws have been brought to privatise the lone food sector left under Modi's government.

The Minister said that the agriculture sector in Telangana has transformed in a big way under Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao's leadership in the past six years.

"Rulers should have an idea of how to bring change in the sectors that will have an impact on the lives of people and improve their conditions," he added.

Besides, demanding for repealing of new agriculture laws, he alleged that the Centre has not extended any assistance so far even after the State had sent its assessment report of crop losses to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore during the unseasonal rains that hit the State recently.