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Telangana Chief Minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi President K Chandrashekar Rao has given an ultimatum to the Union Government, asking it to give a categorical ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to procurement of paddy in the rabi season.
Taking the fight over the rabi paddy to the streets, he led a protest dharna at the ‘Dharna Chowk’ at the Indira Park on Thursday, he demanded that the Centre should give an answer in three days. “Wewill intensify the struggle to tell the country about the Government’s indifferent attitude with regard to the issue,” he said.
Criticising the Modi Government for its indifferent attitude in this regard, he said any delay in giving a clarity on the rabi procurement could cause serious harm to the interests of farmers.
Accompanied by his Cabinet colleagues, party MPs and MLAs, the Chief Minister held the three-hour dharna to bring home the message that the onus is on the Union Government, and not on the State Government, to take call on whether to go for paddy in rabi or not.
This the second time that the ruling party is holding dharnas in the State. It held protest meets across the State on November 12 to press for its demand.
Addressing the dharna, Telangana Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy criticised the Central Government for its lopsided procurement policies. He said that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is yet to complete the last year’srabi procurement target. “It is yet to procure about 5 lakh tonnes,” he said.
The TRS President’s decision to hold protests comes after the Union Government refusing to procure the parboiled rice from the State, citing huge pile of buffer stocks.
The farmers in Telangana grows paddy in about 54 lakh acres in the rabi season.
On Wednsday, the Chief Minister wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to intervene and announce an annual procurement plan.
He said it was important for the State to plan crop diversification.
He also wanted the Union Government to announce procurement targets for the upcoming rabi season.
Meeting with Governor
After the dharna, a delegation of MPs and MLAs led by the TRS President, will meet Tamilisai Soundarajan, the Governor, to explain the issue and give her a memorandum.
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