Despite rising protests from Telangana farmers regarding paddy procurement in the State and appeals from Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) politicians, Food Minister Piyush Goyal has reiterated that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was only prepared to purchase raw rice from the State given the national market demand.
In the rabi or winter season, Telangana farmers largely produce rice which is processed by parboiling. The FCI has refused to purchase such rice as there is little taste for it in much of the rest of the country.
On Wednesday, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that the Centre procure the entire marketable surplus of grain from his State as is done in the case of Punjab and Haryana.
Speaking to journalists after meeting a delegation of TRS leaders on Wednesday, Mr. Goyal held up the agreement that all States sign with the FCI, noting that it included a clause that the FCI had the option to specify whether excess rice for the Central pool should be provided in raw or parboiled form, based on the need and consumption pattern in the country.
“The Centre stands committed to buy whatever excess stocks are there in Telangana, after their own consumption, in the form of raw rice as per the quality specified by FCI, as per the agreement with FCI, and as was committed by the State government in writing to the Union government,” Mr. Goyal said. “Farmers of Telangana can rest assured there is no discrimination among farmers from different States. Some politicians are misleading them,” he added.
The friction between the TRS and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that started over paddy procurement has now spilled over to other areas as well.
On Thursday, TRS MPs walked out of the Lok Sabha just at the start of the Question Hour after Speaker Om Birla didn’t allow them to raise the issue of alleged suicides by unemployed youth. As soon as proceedings started, TRS members led by Nama Nageswara Rao came to the Well of the House demanding a discussion on the unemployment issue. Raising placards and shouting slogans, TRS members demanded immediate action to fill up one million vacant posts in the Central government and stop the alleged suicides by unemployed youths.
Once viewed as a party that was friendly towards the BJP, TRS chief K. Chandrashekar Rao is now trying to forge a front of regional players.
