Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) activists hoisted black flags across the State on Friday to protest the adamant attitude of the Centre on rabi paddy (parboiled rice) procurement as also against the relentless increase in the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas.
Ministers including A. Indrakaran Reddy (Endowments) and V. Prashanth Reddy (Roads & Buildings) also hoisted black flags on their homes in their respective constituencies. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Indrakaran Reddy said they would continue their fight against the Centre till it agrees to procure paddy this season. He also participated a bike rally in Nirmal town as part of the protest.
At Velpur in Nizamabad district, Mr. Prashanth Reddy hoisted black flag on his home demanding that the Centre start procurement of paddy this season. Led by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the elected representatives of TRS would participate in a protest at New Delhi on April 11.
Meanwhile, State Rythu Bandhu Samithi president Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, MPs J. Santosh Kumar and G. Ranjith Reddy inspected the arrangements being made at Telangana Bhavan for the April 11 protest. Mr. Rajeshwar Reddy said the fight would continue until the Centre agrees for paddy procurement this season.
He stated that about 1,500 elected representatives including MLAs, MPs, MLCs, Zilla Parishad, DCCB, DCMS, State Corporations’ Chairpersons, RBS district presidents, TRS district presidents, Mandal Parishad presidents and others would participated in the protest.
Bike rallies
In undivided Karimnagar, Adilabad, Warangal and Khammam districts, TRS leaders and cadre put up black flags atop their houses at various places, reiterating their resolve to continue their ongoing protests till the Centre procures paddy produced in yasangi (rabi) season from farmers of the State.
Bike rallies were organised in Karimnagar, Khammam and several other towns marking the intensification of string of protests by the TRS leaders on behalf of the farmers of the State denouncing the Centre’s “refusal” to buy parboiled rice grown in the State this rabi season.
Members of the Rythu Samanvaya Samithis and farmers took part in the bike rallies, the TRS sources said.
Civil Supplies and Backward Classes Welfare Minister G Kamalakar put up a black flag atop his residence in Karimnagar as part of the State-wide agitation called by the TRS leadership in protest against the Centre’s paddy procurement policy.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister said it is the constitutional obligation of the Centre to procure paddy from farmers to ensure national food security.
The Centre should unconditionally procure the entire paddy produce from farmers of Telangana, he demanded reiterating that the TRS will hold a massive protest in New Delhi on April 11 to safeguard the interests of Telangana farmers.
In Khammam, Transport Minister P Ajay Kumar and other TRS leaders participated in a bike rally.
The TRS district president and MLC Tata Madusudhan took part in a slew of protest programmes held in Mudigonda mandal.
