TRS mounts pressure on Centre

Jangaon: The onus is on the Central government to procure entire paddy produced in the Rabi in the State just as it was doing in Punjab, Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao demanded. Speaking at the Palakurthi constituency in-charges meeting on Thursday, he found fault with the BJP leaders who were creating confusion without coming forward clean on paddy procurement issue.

"There was no coordination between the BJP State leaders and their Central Minister. While State BJP leaders supported the cultivation of paddy, the Centre says no to paddy," Errabelli pointed out. The Telangana government will not leave the Centre until it concedes to procure the paddy from the State, he added.

The Centre has always been indifferent towards the State, he said, referring to the unfulfilled demands of the coach factory in Kazipet, steel plant in Bayyaram, tribal university in Mulugu. This apart, the Centre is yet to give its nod for the SC categorisation, he said. "It's difficult to have a chief minister like K Chandrashekar Rao who has gone the extra mile to help the farming community," Errabelli said. Referring to the Dalit Bandhu, he said that 1500 SC beneficiaries will be selected from each constituency. Telangana is the only State in the country that is spending crores of rupees for the welfare schemes, he said, reeling out some of the plans like pensions, Abhaya Hastam and double-bedroom houses.

All the gram Panchayat sarpanches need to pass resolutions against the Centre's approach towards Telangana, especially paddy procurement. Likewise, at mandal and zilla parishad levels, Errabelli said. Jangaon ZP chairman Pagala Sampath Reddy, MLC Baswaraj Saraiah, Station Ghanpur MLA Thatikonda Rajaiah also demanded the Centre to purchase paddy from Telangana. They also emphasised the need for a national policy on procurement.