Will dump paddy at India Gate, PM's house: CM KCR

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday gave a call to the farmers to fight a battle against the Centre and see that they do not come back to power in the next general elections. Addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting, KCR who appeared to be peeved over the Centre's decision of not buying entire paddy produced in the State during kharif and its announcement that it will not buy parboiled rice during rabi season, the Chief Minister said they would carry the paddy in trucks and dump them in front of India Gate and Prime Minister's house.

He said it may cost Rs 200 crore to the exchequer, but they would do so.

In a loaded political comment against the Centre, KCR said the country had not progressed in any field during its regime. The Union Government, he said, was "anti-farmer, anti-people, anti-poor and anti-middle class." It had "shamelessly" increased the price of gas, petrol and diesel abnormally. The BJP government has forgotten its social responsibility. It had introduced "useless," farm laws which resulted in death of 750 farmers and finally the Prime Minister had to withdraw the law and apologise to farmers.

He said the Centre has no agriculture policy and because of its divisive policies and ignoring farm sector had pushed the country to 101st rank in the global hunger index. Incidentally, Pakistan stands at 92 position while Bangladesh and Nepal are at 76 position. Yet the Union Minister for Food "shamelessly" says they will not buy paddy. Why can't they buy and distribute it to the poor free of cost so that the country can be in a better position in terms of hunger index, KCR questioned.

KCR said despite several representations in the past and protests in Parliament on Monday, there has been no proper response from the Centre. He said so far, the State Government had purchased 26 lakh metric tonnes of paddy. He appealed to farmers to go in for alternative crops during rabi and said that the government will not open purchasing centers since the Centre has refused to buy paddy anymore. He further said that if farmers go in for paddy cultivation in the State, it would be at their own risk.