TRS MPs told to join Opposition protests in Parliament

Hyderabad: Giving a clear indication that it was not averse to a third front, the TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao has directed the party leaders and MPs to take on the BJP on all fronts and join protests organised by opposition parties at the national level.

The party leadership feels that though it has supported the Centre on issues like GST in the national interest, it cannot blindly support the BJP particularly when the State's interests are at stake.

KCR directed the MPs to make their presence felt in the protest programmes taken up by the opposition MPs in Parliament. KCR has directed the MPs not to leave any opportunity and question the Centre along with other MPs.

Sources said that the party leaders were irked with the reply given by Union Food Minister Piyush Goyal in Rajya Sabha as they felt that it was a deliberate attempt to politicise the paddy issue. It is learnt that KCR would respond to the comments of the Union Minister through a press conference soon and was also contemplating holding a dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

A senior most leader in the party said that it was unfair on part of the Union Minister to give an 'irresponsible statement' on the paddy procurement. He said it was not correct to say that the State Government did not deliver what it had assured. The TRS leader said that the FCI had written a letter to the State Government expressing its inability to lift rice in the wake of space constraint in the existing godowns.

Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy said that it was the responsibility of the Centre to procure paddy and the State Government was just a facilitator. He alleged that Union Civil Supplies Minister Goyal does not know much about agriculture and hence he was making irresponsible statements in the House.