The ongoing tussle between the TRS government in Telangana and the Centre over paddy procurement took a new turn as Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday decided to open procurement centres after his 24-hours ultimatum to the Modi government did not get a positive response. Accused of “enacting a drama in the name of dharna” by both Congress and BJP in the State, Mr. Rao had threatened to take the protest across the country if his demands were not met.
What is the TRS demanding?
The TRS government has been demanding that the Centre procure paddy (rice with husk) from the State at the minimum support price (MSP) to aid farmers. However, the Centre maintains that it can only procure raw rice and very less parboiled rice as per demand. State BJP president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar argued that the State government should procure paddy from farmers, convert it into rice, and supply it to the Centre.
