Sharmila begins protest to show solidarity with Telangana farmers

Hyderabad: YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) president Y. S. Sharmila on Saturday began a protest in Hyderabad to show solidarity with the state's farmers over the paddy procurement issue.

Demanding that the state government procure the entire paddy, she sat on the protest at Indira Park in the heart of the city.

Interestingly, leaders of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had staged the protest at the same venue on Friday, demanding the Centre to lift paddy from the state.

She has announced a 72-hour protest. However, the police permitted protest at Indira Park from morning to evening. YSRTP leaders said she would continue the protest for the remaining hours at her party office-cum-residence at Lotus Pond.

Sharmila, who is Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's sister, said that it is the responsibility of the TRS government to procure the entire produce of farmers.

Criticising Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for not coming to the rescue of farmers, she demanded that the government expedite the procurement during the ongoing season.

On the state government advising farmers not to grow paddy and go for alternate crops, Sharmila said the government should give them the guarantee that it will supply the required seeds and fertilisers and procure the entire produce.

She alleged that 36 lakh farmers in the state were not benefited from farm loan waiver announced by the Telangana government.

The YSRTP leader stopped her ongoing Praja Prasthanam Padyatra temporarily from Wednesday in view of the election code of conduct for elections to the Legislative Council.

She had launched the walkathon last month to expose the failures of the state government on various fronts and to interact with people about their problems.