BJP, TRS indulging in petty politics

Who is right and who is wrong? The state claims that Centre is not cooperating in purchase of paddy. Centre says farmers across the country including Telangana benefited in Kharif marketing season to the tune of Rs 41,066.80 crore.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao thundered that they will hold massive rallies in 12 constituencies with lakhs of farmers (No Covid rules apply here) and if need be will go to Delhi and stage dharna to protect the interests of the farmers.

Politically, such statements may enthuse the rank and file, but such acts do not lead to resolving any problem. Governments holding dharnas sounds illogical and does not help in any way. The Centre claims that it had procured over 210 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy from 13 states during kharif marketing season (KMS) 2021-22 till Monday including Telangana benefitting 11.57 lakh farmers. The paddy procurement is progressing smoothly during KMS 2021-22 at MSP from farmers, as was done in previous years, the union government said.

But here the two main political parties TRS and BJP are locking horns and they seem to transgress all limits of decency as far as the language is concerned. CM calls BJP leaders 'dogs', BJP leaders says they will put the CM in jail. 'Touch me and State will be on boil' retorts CM.

Both the parties are in power one at Centre and one in State. Can't they come straight with facts minus rhetoric and present their case effectively before the people and leave it to their wisdom to decide who is right and who is wrong?

The Centre says that as per the original MoU with the State government its commitment was to buy 40 lakh MT of rice. When the crop was midway the State government realised that the yield could be 108 LMT and hence the centre would first fulfil its commitment of buying 40 lakh MT. Can the state refute this?

The Centre also says that the State has given in writing that it will not sell parboiled rice in future and promised to set up rice bran oil mills and upgrade equipment to fortify rice kernels so that they do not break into small pieces during processing. If the State feels that the centre is discriminating against TS and was not speaking truth, what can be a better way than putting before the people's court as to what is the reality and how the centre was cheating the people of the state?

Undoubtedly the area under paddy cultivation has increased in TS after bifurcation due to availability of water for irrigation, improvement in underground water levels etc. But what one cannot agree is that farmers in Telangana are very happy and are buying cars as claimed by the chief minister?

Every day we are seeing reports that farmers rue lack of amenities at market yards. At Enumamula, one of the biggest agricultural market in Asia, farmers are not able to find accommodation in the market and surrounding areas. Some farmers have committed suicide waiting at the market yards.

Seeing all this, it appears that the BJP and TRS want to keep the poll heat on till ensuing MLC elections under local body quota are over. Another scenario could be that the BJP is creating a situation for TRS to turn against it just as it did with TDP during last general elections and leading to its near decimation.