HYDERABAD: Slamming Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao over his dharna in Delhi on paddy procurement issue, state BJP president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Monday alleged that Rao has taken up the protest only to divert public attention from the hike announced by his government in registration and electricity charges and also bus fares.
On a day KCR, as Rao is popularly known, held a 'Maha Dharna' in the national capital, demanding that the Centre procure paddy from Telangana, the BJP's state unit organised a protest here saying Rao should buy paddy from farmers or step down from his post.
"You (Rao) buy votes and also MLAs from other parties. The Chief Minister should say what is his problem in buying paddy from Telangana farmers," he said, addressing the gathering.
Rao had earlier claimed that he is procuring paddy from farmers, but when farmers' realised that it is actually the Centre which is procuring, he is trying to show BJP in poor light by troubling farmers, Kumar alleged.
The state government should procure paddy, convert it into rice and supply to the Centre, he said. The state gets commission and the Centre is ready to buy, he added. The state government had earlier given an undertaking that it would not supply parboiled rice, Kumar said.
Rao has landed farmers in trouble by closing down paddy procurement centres, he alleged. He also said the NDA government at the Centre has substantially enhanced prices for crops like paddy, cotton and chillies.
Rao should say why there is no problem in any other state in the country and as to why the problem has cropped up only this year in Telangana when it has not happened in the last seven years of TRS rule, the BJP leader said.
The CM should start procurement centres as harvesting has begun, he said.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, who attended the protest, alleged that Rao is trying to mislead people on the procurement issue.
Asked about Rao setting a 24-hour deadline to the NDA government to respond on the paddy procurement issue, Muraleedharan said: "He (Rao) is trying to mislead the people. Because, the government has already, on the floor of the house, announced that Government of India is ready to take whatever rice is produced by the farmers. So, why he is trying to mislead and do politics in the name of farmers. I am sure the farmers will see through such misleading efforts."
Muraleedharan described Rao as "commission Rao. " He felt that BKU leader Rakesh Tikait, who attended the TRS dharna in Delhi, was misled.
Tikait should come to Telangana, speak to the farmers and also try to understand as to what is exactly happening in the state, he said.
The BJP demands that the Telangana government should open centres where paddy will be purchased as per the MSP decided by the Modi government, Muraleedharan said.
There has been a row between the TRS government and the NDA government at the Centre over paddy/ rice procurement.
The TRS and BJP have been engaged in a war of words on the issue.
While the TRS government has been demanding that the Centre procure paddy from the state, the Central government has said it would buy raw rice.
The TRS has held protests in the state for over a week now, including road blockades, as part of its agitation on the paddy procurement issue.