Hyderabad, Nov 18 (UNI) Ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Cabinet Ministers and elected representatives led by its President and Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao staged a ‘Maha Dharna’ at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park here on Thursday demanding that the Centre should procure paddy/rice produced in the Rabi Season.
Besides the entire Cabinet of Mr Rao, Rythu Bandhu Samithi workers and farmers from various parts of the state also participated in the Maha dharna.
The state-wide 'Maha Dharna' today would be the party’s second protest programme in six days against the centre’s discrimination towards the state in terms of paddy procurement.
The ruling party hit the roads on November 12 demanding the Centre to procure paddy/rice produced in the Rabi season.
After concluding the Maha Dharna in the afternoon, the TRS leaders will present a memorandum to Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan at Raj Bhavan, seeking her intervention on the issue.
For the first time after formation of the state, Mr Chandrashekhar Rao participated in the Maha Dharna.
The Chief Minister had earlier alleged that the BJP is adopting a dual policy on paddy procurement.
The Central government should clarify the extent of paddy (target) for the entire year, and the quantity of raw rice they want to procure in the coming Yasangi (Rabi ) season.
Even as the paddy procurement issue continues to generate a lot of heat across Telangana, the Chief Minister on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to enhance the Centre’s procurement target from the existing 40 lakh Metric Tonnes (MTs) of rice to 90 percent of the total production in the present Kharif reason.
He also said that the Centre had already purchased more than 95 per cent of Punjab's wheat and paddy at the MSP through the FCI and other agencies.
Mr Rao, earlier declared that the pink party (TRS) would introduce resolutions in the state assembly against new farm laws, being called as ‘black laws’ .
He said the party’s elected representatives would question the Centre at various times on the issues till it gives a clarity.
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