Congress stages dharna seeking fair price for chillies, pulses

​Warangal Urban: The district Congress leaders have staged a dharna at Enumanula agriculture market demanding the state government to ensure profitable price to chilli and red-gram.

The party leaders have strongly condemned the government’s apathy towards the farmers. They wanted the CM K Chandrashekar Rao, marketing minister T Harish Rao and agriculture minister P Srinivas Reddy to visit the market and initiate immediate measures to address the issue.

The party district president N Rajender Reddy, ex-minister G Vijayarama Rao, former chief whip G Venkata Ramana Reddy, DCC Bank chairman J Raghava Reddy, city Congress president K Srinivasa Rao and its working president Rajanala Srihari and ex-MLA P Veeraiah have taken part in the agitation.

Addressing the gathering Rajender Reddy complained that the price offered to chilli was falling down by Rs 1000 per quintal every day leaving the farmers in distress. It was sad the farmers were not able to get a profitable price to their produce.

He demanded the government to purchase the chilli and red-gram through Markfed while Ramana Reddy wanted Rs 3000 bonus per quintal to farmers. The DCC Bank chairman Raghava Reddy stated that during Congress regime chilli farmers were offered a price of Rs 13000 to 14, 000 per quintal.

The city Congress working president Srihari alleged that the government and officials at the market were supporting the traders. The government was not responding even as the purchase of red-gram was halted at the market.

The government was not responding though the farmers and opposition parties were agitating over the fall in support price to chilli and red-gram. On the contrary the ministers concerned were claiming the farmers were being given profitable price, the leaders alleged.

It was sad that the government which encouraged farmers to take up pulses cultivation has failed to ensure a descent price to the produce, they said and shouted slogans against state and central governments.

Later, they submitted a memorandum to Warangal Urban district collector Amrapali Kata in support of their demands. TPCC general secretary Namindla Srinivas, PCC secretary EV Srinivasa Rao, block Congress president N Laxma Reddy, former market committee chairman M Vinod Kumar and others were present.