KCR cheated farmers: Uttam Kumar Reddy

Hyderabad Former president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee and Nalgonda MP Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday strongly alleged that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao has cheated the farmers.

Addressing the 'Vari Deeksha' being organised by Pradesh Congress Committee, he said that due to the negligence of the government in purchasing the paddy in time, the farmers were ruined.

He said that Congress would put up a united fight against the Central and State governments on the issues of the farmers. He said that the party would fight in Assembly and in Parliament on behalf of farmers.

"We have two main demands. The government should purchase every grain of discolored and soaked paddy and should not impose any restriction on cultivating paddy during the Rabi season," he said.

Coming down heavily on the Central and State governments, he said that farmers of the State were ruined by the anti farmer policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao. The Prime Minister, the Chief Minister and the ministers have conveniently forgotten their primary responsibility of instilling confidence among the farmers on purchase of paddy.

"I want to know why should the present central and State governments continue in power, which failed to purchase the produce of the farmers," he questioned. He pointed out that 50 to 60 per cent of the population depends on agriculture in India and in Telangana.

Lampooning the State government for its inaction, he said that even though the paddy has started to reach threshing floors and IKP centers in October and November the State government did not chalk out any action plan to purchase the grains.

Charging the Chief Minister with cheating of farmers, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the government did not implement crop loan waiver scheme and crop insurance was not implemented in the State. Due to the absence of crop loan insurance facility the farmers were left to their fate.

Castigating the State government for inordinate delay in purchasing the paddy, the former PCC president pointed out that it has been decided in a meeting being organised by the Centre in August to purchase 500 lakh tonnes of rice all over the country and TS was given a target of 40 lakh tonnes of rice or 60 lakh tons of paddy. However so far only 8 lakh tonnes have been purchased in Telangana so far.

He informed that Punjab has procured about 1.13 crore tons of paddy by November 21. He said that Uttar Pradesh was given a target of 47 lakh tonnes, Odisha 43 lakh tonness, Chattisgarh 40 lakh tons and Haryana 40 lakh tonnes.

Criticising the Chief Minister for neglecting the farmers he alleged that while the paddy was sprouting due to the untimely rains on the threshing floors, the Chief Minister has been enjoying a vacation in Delhi. He made it clear that Chief Minister was the only reason for the ruin of the farmers of the state.

He informed that State government need not spend its own finances on purchase of paddy as the Centre gives funds. However, the farmers were ruined due to the incompetence of the Chief Minister.

He said that during their visits to the threshing floors, the pathetic conditions of the farmers has come to their notice. He said that due to the delay in purchasing the paddy, it was soaked in the untimely rains.

Stating that the government was not aware of how to handle the issues, he said that before 2014 the Congress government used to get exemption from the Centre to purchase the discolored and wet paddy when paddy soaks due to the untimely rains. "However, the present government was not conscious and aware of this," he said.

Coming down heavily on the Agriculture minister for his advice to cultivate palm oil, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that it was a silly suggestion. He said that income from palm oil cultivation comes only after four or five years.

He called upon the farmers to go ahead with cultivation of paddy in the State and assured that they would see to it that the government purchases the produce. "Go ahead with paddy cultivation. We would see how the government did not purchase it."

Criticising the Chief Minister for the inordinate delay in purchasing the paddy, he expressed doubts that whether the government has colluded with the rice millers. By delaying the purchase the government has been forcing the farmers to sell off their produce to millers at Rs 1,300 or Rs 1,400 per quintal to the millers in distress whereas the MSP was Rs 1,960 per quintal.

Pointing out the incompetence of the TRS government in purchasing the paddy which describes Telangana as a rich State, he said that a small state like Chattisgarh has given Rs 500 bonus per quintal to paddy farmers over and above the MSP. Due to this the farmers were benefited by Rs 12,000 per acre whereas Telangana Chief Minister boasts that they have given Rs 5000 per acre under Rythu Bandhu scheme.

Ridiculing the proposed restrictions on cultivation of paddy in Rabi season, he said that under the left canal of Nagarjuna Sagar only paddy could be cultivated. By restricting the farmers from cultivating paddy, the government has been leaving the farmers to the fate.