The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has decided to boycott remainder of the winter session of Parliament stating that justice is not being done to farmers of the State by the Centre, particularly in the matter of paddy/rice procurement.
The decision was announced by the Floor Leaders of the party in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha K. Keshava Rao and Nama Nageswara Rao, respectively, after boycotting Tuesday’s session mid-way.
They stated that two Union Minister had given different replies on the issue in Parliament on Tuesday continuing their (Centre’s) indifference towards the problems of Telangana farmers.
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“There’s no meaning sitting in Parliament when our farmers’ genuine concerns which are purely in the control of the Centre are not addressed. It’s better we continue our fight outside Parliament and explain to people the anti-farmer attitude of the Centre,” the two leaders said speaking to newspersons later in New Delhi.
Mr. Keshava Rao alleged that the Centre was unmoved on farmers’ issues in spite of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) giving notices for adjournment motions in the two Houses seeking national policy on procurement of foodgrains and ensuring minimum support price to the produce of farmers in addition to seeking clarity on the issue of paddy/rice procurement in Telangana.
He explained that they had decided to boycott the session as time was running out fast for paddy cultivation in the Rabi season in Telangana and appealed to the farming community not to go for the crop since the Centre had made its intension of not procuring parboiled rice, only which could be produced in Rabi in Telangana.
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“We have clearly asked the Centre whether it would procure parboiled rice produced in Rabi or not or what is the quantity of rice it wants to lift from Telangana in a year, even it it’s raw rice so that our State Government could guide the farmers appropriately,” Mr. Keshava Rao said.
Mr. Nageswara Rao said they had been raising the issue for the last 9 days in Parliament but the Centre was unmoved.
“Our concerns have fallen on deaf ears. Since we have won with the support of Telangana farmers, as also MPs of other parties in the State, we suggest them to take a stand in support of farmers”, he said and appealed to people to keep in mind the MPs who have failed to at least raise their issue.