Will fight for Telangana farmers’ interest, says TRS leader on Centre's rice procurement policy

TRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha said the party is all set to protect the interests of the state’s farmers in light of the Centre’s indifferent behaviour with regards to rice procurement.

Telangana Rastra Samithi (TRS) leader Kalvakuntla Kavitha said the party is all set to protect the interests of the state’s farmers in light of the Centre’s indifferent behaviour with regards to paddy procurement.

MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha, who is in Delhi ahead of a planned protest by the TRS on April 11, asserted that the schemes and policies of the central government are a threat to the national food security system and that the Telangana-based party will fight for the interest of the farmers.

The TRS government in Telangana has been demanding the Centre procure the entire parboiled rice from the state. However, the Centre has been saying it can procure only raw rice and not the parboiled ones which are not consumed largely in India.

Kavitha alleged that the central government was making excuses for not procuring parboiled rice from Telangana and accused it of meting out "step-motherly treatment" to the state.

READ | Why KCR’s party is targeting Modi government on paddy procurement from Telangana

In light of this, TRS MPs, MLCs, MLAs and elected representatives of urban and rural local bodies will be sitting on a day-long dharna at the Telangana Bhavan in Delhi on Monday to protest the Centre's "discriminatory" policy on rice procurement.

While applauding the efforts and vision of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Kavitha said that it was KCR’s sheer grit that made “barren Telangana into a prosperous and productive land” that is ready to serve the rest of the country.