KCR is responsible for farmers' suicides: Bandi Sanjay Kumar

Hyderabad: Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday demanded Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to immediately procure and shift paddy from procurement centres to godowns against the backdrop of the State witnessing rain.

He said the ministers and MLAs had provoked the TRS cadre to attack him, his party leaders for visiting farmers at the centres in Nalgonda and Suryapet.

However, "the fears, what he had expressed after meeting farmers have come true today. Paddy at the centres is turning wet due to rain and farmers are incurring huge losses."

He said "completely drowned, farmers are climbing towers to commit suicides. And, the CM was responsible for the farmers' losses."

The Karimnagar MP questioned the rationale behind the TRS cadre pelting stones and attacking with sticks farmers at Sircilla who climbed towers to protest the government apathy in procuring paddy. He said it vows an answer to farmers. He said while the BJP has been asking to procure kharif paddy immediately the ministers, MLAs, including the CM staged a dharna demanding the Centre to procure rabi paddy.

However, the government-sponsored protest for which the police machinery had made arrangements in a big way had achieved nothing.

"I reiterate that the Centre will not purchase parboiled rice; It will procure only coarse rice. If the CM show me the Centre procuring parboiled rice in any State, then, I will see that the Centre procures parboiled rice from Telangana too," Kumar said. Otherwise, the State should provide entirely only raw rice to the Centre during rabi.

He said the State was witnessing rain and a forecast of rain for next two days. If paddy is drenched at the centres will develop sprouting. And, the CM should take responsibility for it.

The State BJP demands the State government to immediately lift the paddy from fields and procurement centres irrespective of the levels of humidity and wet condition. Failing, the days are not very far for the government to face raining stones at it from farmers, he warned.