HYDERABAD: Alleging that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who had discouraged farmers from cultivating paddy was himself growing the crop in 150 acre of his farmland, TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy on Sunday urged farmers to go ahead with their plans and sow paddy in the ensuing Rabi.
Speaking to the media at his residence in Jubilee Hills here, Revanth flashed a few pictures and showed a video clip of alleged paddy cultivation in 150 acres in Erravelli farm of Kalvakuntla family. The Congress leader also invited the mediapersons to visit the location on Monday to check the details for themselves, while they cover ‘Rachabanda’ programme to be organised by him there.
“KCR must explain how, where and at what price he proposes to sell the paddy being cultivated in his 150-acre field. Ministers S Niranjan Reddy and Gangula Kamalakar must explain as to how they plan to procure the paddy from CM’s farms,” he said.
Condemning the TRS government’s plans to create an awareness campaign in the villages against paddy cultivation, he called upon the farmers to beat such people with footwear as they were trying to deprive them of exercising their constitutional rights.
Alleging that Telangana’s paddy farmers were being denied minimum support price (MSP) guaranteed by law, TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy on Sunday said that the TRS leaders, millers, brokers and middlemen were working as a syndicate to deprive farmers of MSP on their produce.
He also asked Ministers KT Rama Rao and T Harish Rao to go on a study tour of Chhattisgarh to know how that State was supporting the paddy farmers. The TPCC chief also condemned the recent statement by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar that the three farm laws which were repealed, might be brought back.
Accusing the Chief Minister of making a announcement only to get cheap publicity, Revanth said the Chief Minister had not paid the Rs 3 lakh compensation to the kin of farmers who died during agitation for repeal of the farm laws at Delhi. “TRS Ministers and MPs camped in New Delhi for over a week. But none of them approached the farmers’ unions to collect the details of martyrs,” the TPCC chief pointed out.
He said that as per the Food Security Act, the Food Corporation of India was mandated to procure the rice from across the country.
While the FCI makes direct procurement of paddy in northern States like Punjab, it procures the rice through Civil Supplies Corporation in Telangana. Therefore, he said that the State Government acts as a mediator in the process although it needs to ensure that farmers are paid the MSP for their produce, he said.
Invites media
The Congress leader also invited the mediapersons to visit the location on Monday to check the details for themselves, while they cover his ‘Rachabanda’ programme.
