HYDERABAD: State Congress president A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday asked farmers to grow paddy in the yasangi (kharif) season without fear, as it was legally binding on the government to not only purchase the produce at the minimum support price (MSP) but also assure them of a procurement market.
He claimed that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao himself was cultivating paddy on his 150 acres of land in Erravelli in Gajwel constituency during the yasangi season.
Addressing a press conference at his residence in Jubilee Hills on Sunday, Revanth Reddy accused the CM of adopting a dual stand on paddy cultivation. The Chief Minister had been intimidating the farmers of dire consequences if they cultivated paddy, he said.
“On the other hand, Chandrashekar Rao and his family members are growing paddy on their 150 acres of land in Erravelli. KCR is saying that there will be no procurement centres for paddy. He must explain how, where and at what price he proposes to sell the paddy being cultivated on his 150-acre fields," he asked, playing a video that purported to show the fields.
“Agriculture minister Niranjan Reddy and civil supplies minister Gangula Kamalakar must explain how they plan to procure paddy being grown by the Chief Minister at his farms," the TPCC chief asked.
Condemning the TRS government’s plans to create an awareness campaign against paddy cultivation, he exhorted the farmers to beat such people with 'chappals' as they were trying to deprive them of exercising their Constitutional rights.
Citing the example of Chhattisgarh, Revanth Reddy said the Congress government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was giving a bonus of Rs 600 per quintal in addition to the MSP on paddy. Further, the farmers were being given an incentive of Rs 9,000 per acre if they took up alternative crops. He invited ministers K. T. Rama Rao and Harish Rao to visit Chhattisgarh on a study tour.
The TPCC chief said if the CM was unable to understand the provisions of laws on MSP, Food Security Act, etc., he must take someone's help.
