TRS to stage Maha Dharna' tomorrow over paddy issue

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has set the deadline of November 18 for the BJP-led government at the Centre to make its stand clear whether it will purchase paddy from Telangana or not in the rabi season.

The Chief Minister announced to hold a ‘Maha Dharna’ on November 18 at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park with all Cabinet ministers, TRS MLAs, MLCs, MPs and other elected representatives to step up pressure on the Centre to procure paddy from Telangana. However, the Chief Minister did not clarify whether he would sit on dharna or not.

The TRS held dharna at all Assembly constituencies on Friday last on the same demand in which all ministers, party MLAs, MLCs and MPs took part except the Chief Minister.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday after holding a meeting with TRS MLAs, MLCs and MPs to decide the future course of action on paddy procurement, the Chief Minister stated that he would wait for two days after ‘Maha Dharna’ for the Centre's response and if it failed to respond, he would announce the next course of agitation programmes. He demanded that the Centre declare 'yearly target' for paddy procurement in Telangana clearly stating how much quantity of paddy it wanted to procure in rabi and kharif season every year.

The Chief Minister also demanded that BJP Telangana president Bandi Sanjay clarify whether he still stood on his statement asking farmers in TS to sow paddy in rabi and if not tender apologies to farmers.

He warned the TRS would hunt and chase BJP at all forums until it made it stand clear on paddy procurement from Telangana. The Chief Minister also stated that the government would pass a resolution in the Legislative Assembly against the Centre's farm laws.

He said he would write a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union minister for food and public distribution Piyush Goyal on Wednesday putting forth all his demands before them on paddy procurement, give them time till Thursday and if they failed to respond on his demands, the party would sit on Maha Dharna on Thursday from 11 am to 2 pm. After the dharna, they will meet Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and submit a representation demanding the Centre to give clarity on paddy procurement.

Chandrashekar Rao also expressed severe anger over Sanjay Kumar's visit to paddy procurement centres alleging that he, along with BJP activists, were attacking farmers who questioned them on paddy procurement and creating violence in the peaceful state.

"Where is the need for Bandi Sanjay to visit paddy centres and console farmers. If he has concern towards farmers, he should first bring orders from the Centre giving approval to purchase paddy from Telangana in rabi. This problem was created by the BJP government at the Centre by refusing to procure paddy from Telangana. Now the same BJP leaders are undertaking agitations demanding paddy procurement. Is this not amounting to double standards of the BJP?" Chandrashekar Rao asked.

He accused the Centre for not responding on-demand to scrap farm laws despite farmers protesting against them for an year in Delhi and neighbouring states and 600 farmers losing their lives. The Chief Minister accused the BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh of mowing down farmers with their cars who agitated against farm laws and BJP leaders in Telangana of attacking farmers with stones and sticks who questioned them.

"Our government will not sit quiet if BJP leaders resort to violence under the guise of paddy procurement agitations. We will proceed as per law against violators," the Chief Minister warned.