Finance and Health Minister T. Harish Rao said that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, other Ministers, MP and MLAs would participate in the Maha Dharna that would be held by the party on Thursday at Dharna Chowk.

Mr. Harish Rao along with Animal Husbandry Minister T. Srinivas Yadav, MLA Jogu Rammanna and others visited the Dharna Chowk near Indira Park on Wednesday and supervised the arrangements.

“The Maha Dharna was aimed at bringing pressure on the Union Government to buy paddy from farmers and clarify its stand. The policy of Centre should be common for all states in paddy procurement. In the past, all the previous governments at Centre including UPA and NDA had procured paddy from the state and we are requesting the Union Government to continue the same and there was nothing new in it. The BJP Government has been declining to procure paddy from Telangana whereas it was buying from farmers of Punjab. How can the Centre follow double standards for two states?” asked Mr. Harish Rao.

Stating that it was the responsibility of Union Government to procure paddy and the TRS was forced to hold dharna as the Centre was escaping from its responsibility, he said that it was not new for the party to stand with the people and this time the agitation was in support of farmers in the State.