Responding to the call given by party president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao against the attitude of the Centre over paddy procurement in summer season, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders and workers held protests across the State led by Ministers and local MLAs. They raised slogans against the BJP.
At several places, the TRS workers beat ‘chavu dappu’ (the drums beat during the last journey of a person).
Unlike in the previous protest, Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao and party working president and Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao did not participate in the protests.
Leading the protests in Siddipet, Finance and Health Minister T. Harish Rao has alleged that the BJP has been cheating farmers, and in the interest of farmers the party should be thrown out from the Centre.
He has suggested the party workers to grill the BJP leaders in villages. Stating that the Chief Minister did what ever was possible to bring pressure on the Union Government, he alleged that it is yet to respond.
“Only boiled rice can be produced in Telangna in summer due to severe heat, and raw rice is not possible here. For the past several years, only boiled rice was sold to the Centre and it had purchased it. Question the BJP leaders on the issue when they visit villages. Ask them why the Centre is stepping back from its responsibility,” Mr. Harish Rao told the farmers and party workers.
The Minister also questioned why Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy failed to convince Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.
Participating in the protest at Mahabubabad marketyard, Tribal, Women and Child Welfare Minister Satyavathi Rathod said that the Centre is following anti-farmer policies and there is a a need to bring more pressure on it.
In Nirmal, the protests were led by Endowments Minister A. Indrakaran Reddy. A rally was held from municipal office to Manchiryal Chowrastha in which large number of party workers participated. In Nalgonda, MLC Gutta Sukhender Reddy led the protests.
