TRS to hold 'Mahadharna' against Centre's policy on paddy procurement

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], November 17 : Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) will hold a Mahadharna (protest) against the Centre over the farmers' issues on Thursday.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said that he, along with all TRS office-bearers including MLAs, MPs, MLCs and other public representatives, will stage a protest at Indira Park in Hyderabad on November 18 to protest the Centre's apathetic attitude towards paddy procurement.
TRS leaders will also visit the Raj Bhavan and submit a letter of the demands to Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.
Briefing the mediapersons, Telangana Chief Minister said, "I will write to the Center tomorrow to give clarity on paddy purchase and details regarding paddy procurement done by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) within two or three days. I appeal to the farmers not to cultivate paddy in Yasangi. We will protest in Dharna against the central policies. If there is still no response, the people will decide."
He further stated that it is the responsibility of the central government to procure the crop cultivated by the farmers. The chief minister alleged that the Centre is buying the whole paddy in Punjab but refusing to buy grain in Telangana. He said that the central government is not allowing FCI to buy grain in Yasangi.
"The state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar had provoked the farmers to plant paddy in Yasangi. I told them not to cultivate paddy in Yasangi with the decision of the Center. We have set up paddy purchasing centres for the rainy season crop. BJP leaders are making dramas at paddy purchasing centres," Rao added.