TRS spreading false propaganda against Centre on paddy procurement, alleges Muralidhar Rao

The comments of BJP and Congress leaders came against the backdrop of protests by ruling TRS demanding that the Centre procure paddy in Telangana.The TRS has alleged that the NDA government at the Centre discriminated against Telangana.Union Food Minister Piyush Goyal on April 1 attacked the ruling TRS for misleading the farmers of the state over paddy procurement, saying it should fulfil its responsibility towards the peasants.He had stressed the Centre has always been buying raw rice from Telangana as it does from Punjab.

The BJP in Telangana on Tuesday accused the ruling TRS of indulging in misinformation campaign against the NDA government at the Centre over paddy procurement issue in the state.

Addressing reporters here, senior BJP leader P Muralidhar Rao said, ''It is completely a false propaganda by the TRS government, under the leadership of K Chandrasekhar Rao, on the paddy procurement issue. It's a politically motivated strategy to make it a 'Delhi versus Telangana' (narrative).'' The TRS is trying to rake up Telangana ''sentiment,'' but it is not possible for anybody to brand BJP as ''anti-Telangana,'' Muralidhar Rao, who is a former BJP General Secretary, said.

Without mentioning the CM's name, the BJP leader alleged that Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao's visits to Delhi is to divert Telangana people's attention from the his government's alleged failures and to enhance credibility among parties opposed to BJP.

The BJP would reach out to people and explain about the TRS' alleged false propaganda on paddy procurement, Muralidhar Rao said.

Noting that Telangana stood second among various states in the country in rice procurement, he sought to know how TRS could claim that Telangana was discriminated against by the central government.

''If the Centre had not procured (in the last several years), what was Telangana doing (with the produce)?'' he asked.

The Telangana government had given an undertaking that it would not supply parboiled rice to Centre, he said.

Meanwhile, state Congress president and MP A Revanth Reddy alleged that the undertaking given by the TRS government to not supply parboiled rice has landed the farmers of Telangana in trouble.

It is the responsibility of both the TRS government and NDA government at the Centre to procure farmers' produce in the state, he told reporters in Delhi.

The BJP had promised to double farmers' income by 2022, the Congress leader pointed out. The comments of BJP and Congress leaders came against the backdrop of protests by ruling TRS demanding that the Centre procure paddy in Telangana.

The TRS has alleged that the NDA government at the Centre discriminated against Telangana.

Union Food Minister Piyush Goyal on April 1 attacked the ruling TRS for ''misleading'' the farmers of the state over paddy procurement, saying it should fulfil its responsibility towards the peasants.

He had stressed the Centre has always been buying raw rice from Telangana as it does from Punjab.