Wanaparthy: Wanaparthy Market Yard Chairman Srinivas Goud along with other Mandal Congress leaders alleged that BRS activists were masquerading as farmers and spreading false propaganda with the aim of tarnishing the Congress image, even though real farmers are happy. On Thursday, during a press meet held in Wanaparthy, they stressed that leaders who claim to care about farmers should offer constructive suggestions to solve their problems, instead of maliciously spreading lies through social media for sadistic pleasure.

“Local MLA Thudi Megha Reddy has been actively monitoring the situation here and continuously responding to farmers’ difficulties,” asserted Goud adding that the BRS party was solely responsible for the hardships faced by farmers.

“It was under your (former minister’s) leadership that permits were given to so-called rice mills, which were nothing but tin sheds without any machinery. If today 150 rice mills are blacklisted, isn’t that your fault?” he questioned.

He and several party leaders criticised the former minister’s statements on paddy procurement as laughable, noting that he had misused his power over the last ten years and is solely responsible for getting 150 rice mills blacklisted.

They stated that, unlike before, the government was efficiently handling the procurement of three lakh metric tonnes of paddy in the district. “Every day, 300 lorries are collecting paddy bags from the procurement centres,” he said. “Even rain-damaged paddy was being procured fully due to the MLA’s efforts,” he added.

Those who addressed the press included Wanaparthy market yard Vice-Chairman Ramakrishna Reddy, Pebbair mandal market yard chairperson Pramodini Reddy, Pebbair mandal Congress president Srinivas Goud, Pebbair town president Venkataramulu, and others.