Hyderabad: BJP leaders condemn lathi-charge on Kisan Morcha members

Hyderabad: Bharatiya Janata Party State chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar, party national vice-president DK Aruna and former MP Vijayashanti condemned the alleged police highhandedness on protesting BJP Kisan Morcha leaders and members.

In separate statements made here on Friday, the BJP leaders condemned the lathi charge on protesting Kisan Morcha leaders at the State Agriculture Commissioner's office.

Bandi said that the BJP Kisan Morcha, Hyderabad Central District president Mohan Reddy's leg was fractured in the police attack. Similarly, Ranga Reddy district Morcha president Mahesh Yadav and Kamareddy leader P Ganga Reddy were shifted to hospitals with serious injuries. Later, in the evening, Bandi visited the hospitals where the injured leaders were undergoing treatment.

Coming down heavily on the police, Aruna said that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was acting like a dictator forcing the farmers to stop cultivation of paddy and go for alternative crops.

"The ruling party is misleading farmers on the procurement of paddy by the Centre. The farmers in the State are forced to take up cultivation of alternative crops without the State providing any basic amenities," she pointed out.

Vijayashanti said that the Centre assured Telangana that it would procure 48 lakh tonnes of rice (70 lakh tonnes of paddy). "It is the responsibility of the State to provide details to the Centre about the extent of paddy cultivation and yields during the ensuing Yasangi," she said, accusing the Chief Minister of making baseless allegations against the Centre and spreading lies about it.