Demanding the Union government to make its stand clear on paddy procurement from Telangana, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday, November 16, announced the next phase of protest by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). All ministers, state legislators, MPs and other elected representatives of the ruling party will stage a 'dharna' at Indira Park in Hyderabad on November 18, KCR announced after presiding over a meeting of TRS legislators to chalk out a future course of action.
He told reporters after the meeting that TRS will be after BJP which is adopting dual policy on the issue of paddy procurement. The TRS leaders had staged 'dharna' in all Assembly constituencies on November 12, demanding the Union government to procure paddy from the state. KCR said he would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the concerned central minister on Wednesday, November 17, demanding the Union government to procure paddy from Telangana during the coming Rabi season.
He said the Union government should procure paddy from Telangana the way it is doing from Punjab. "You can't have one policy for one region and another for a different region," he said. KCR said the state government had been waiting for 50 days but the Union government has not made its stand clear. Referring to the earlier stand by the Union government that it will not procure parboiled rice from Telangana, he said the Union government should clarify the quantity of raw rice it will procure from the state.
He said in view of the earlier stand taken by the Union government, the agriculture minister had advised farmers not to cultivate paddy and go for alternate crops. He, however, said BJP's state president Bandi Sanjay created confusion among farmers by asking them to grow paddy and not to worry about selling it.
KCR slammed Sanjay for his visit to paddy procurement centres and for what he called attacks on farmers. He alleged that the BJP leader was creating law and order problems. He claimed that those protesting against his visit were not TRS workers but were farmers. He reiterated that TRS will not leave the BJP leader. "We are not going to leave you. You can't fool people with such tactics," he said. KCR wanted Sanjay to clarify if he was still sticking to his stand on paddy cultivation or tender an apology to farmers.
The Chief Minister said after the November 18 dharna, the TRS government would wait for two more days and then tell farmers what to cultivate during the coming season. He, however, appealed to farmers not to suffer losses by going in for paddy cultivation believing the statements of state BJP leader.
Meanwhile, for the second day in a row on Tuesday, ruling TRS cadre held protests and tried to obstruct Telangana BJP unit president and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar's visit to paddy procurement centres in Suryapet district of the State, police said. Raising slogans and holding black flags, TRS workers again held protests at various places demanding Sanjay Kumar to go back a day after he began a two-day tour of Nalgonda and Suryapet districts to assess paddy procurement and to interact with the farmers.
Mild tension prevailed in different places in Suryapet district after a large number of TRS activists took to the streets and squatted on roads and were countered by BJP workers, who also assembled in large numbers. TV visuals also showed some people wielding sticks and clashing with police. At one place, workers of both the parties threw footwear and eggs at one another, a senior police official told PTI.
BJP leaders alleged that TRS activists pelted the BJP workers with stones and damaged their two vehicles, a charge denied by the TRS leaders. A large number of police personnel were deployed who used force to disperse the members of both the parties.
Meanwhile, cases were registered against leaders and workers of both the TRS and BJP for causing disturbance to law and order situation after the activists of the two parties clashed by pelting stones during Sanjay Kumar's visit to Nalgonda district on Monday, Nalgonda District Superintendent of Police AV Ranganath said.
Similarly, Sanjay Kumar and other party leaders were booked for undertaking the tour without taking any permission from district administration nor police as the election code is in force for MLC elections and thus causing law and order problems, inconvenience to farmers and public in Nalgonda district, police said.