Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Revanth Reddy on Saturday attacked the Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and said that both parties are a nexus like soda and alcohol.
Addressing a protest gathering at Dharna Chowk, the congress leader said that both TRS and BJP are the major reason for the farmers who are struggling with the paddy procurement issue. He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana chief minister K Chandra Sekhar Rao are two sides of the same coin.
“KCR is deep drunk in his farmhouse when farmers are out in the cold struggling to sell their paddy crop,” he remarked.
Revanth Reddy said that Telangana Congress party leaders and activists including himself will do a night stay at the Dharna Chowk for tonight in solidarity with the farmers who camped at the borders of Delhi for a month protesting through extreme weather. “750 farmers lost their lives protesting through extreme weather at Delhi border. I am asking our congress activists and leaders, can’t we do the same thing for a night here?” he said.
TPCC president Revanth Reddy, Bhongir Member of parliament Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, senior leader Hanumantha Rao and other leaders and activists participated in the protest. Members of the Raithu Swarajya Vedika and Communist Party of India Marxist Leninist (New Democracy) also participated in solidarity.
Komatireddy Venkat Reddy while addressing the protest crowd said that it wouldn’t even be wrong if chief minister KCR’s tongue is cut for all the lies he utters. He said this in the context of the chief minister’s ‘lies’ about delivering the promise of three acres to Dalit families and also on KCR’s promise of making a Dalit the chief minister of the state. He also called the chief minister ‘cheater’ and said that efforts should be made to dethrone him.
Senior Congress leader Hanumantha Rao said that the farmers are dying sitting on piles of rice as it has now been two months and the paddy hasn’t been procured. “The Congress party has established the Food Corporation of India (FCI) keeping in mind the welfare of farmers. From Pandit Nehru to Manmohan Singh, we have always taken measures that are beneficial to farmers,” the senior Congress leader said.
Telangana Congress began its two-day ‘Vari Deeksha’ (Paddy protest) at Dharna Chowk here on Saturday to protest against the delay of procurement of paddy from farmers due to the Centre-state conflict and to demand the Minimum Support Price for paddy.
For the last few days, the Congress party has been holding various programmes, including rallies and protests in the state. On November 25, party leaders in several districts presented submissions to district collectors and other agriculture department officials in order to accelerate the paddy purchase.
Meanwhile, the Union government has made it clear to the delegation from Telangana, comprising of state ministers, that it would not procure Rabi boiled rice from the state.