Rahul says procure every grain of paddy produced by Telangana farmers; TRS hits back

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the BJP and TRS governments of neglecting procurement of paddy produced by Telangana farmers, drawing a sharp reaction from the state's ruling TRS which asked him to not express "solidarity on Twitter for political gains" and instead take it up in Parliament.

New Delhi:Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the BJP and TRS governments of neglecting procurement of paddy produced by Telangana farmers, drawing a sharp reaction from the state's ruling TRS which asked him to not express "solidarity on Twitter for political gains" and instead take it up in Parliament. "If you are honest, come to the well (of Lok Sabha) and protest in support of Telangana MPs. Our demand is 'one country, single procurement policy'," former MP of TRS Kavitha Kalvakuntla said in response to Gandhi's tweet.

In a tweet in Telugu, Gandhi said, "It is a shame that the BJP and TRS governments are neglecting their moral responsibility of procuring paddy produced by Telangana farmers and politicising the issue." "Stop harassing farmers with anti-farmer activities and buy every grain produced in Telangana. The Congress party will continue to fight on behalf of the farmers until every seed produced in Telangana is procured," he added.

His tweet drew a sharp retort from the former TRS MP. "You are an MP, not nominally expressing solidarity on Twitter for political gains. TRS MPs go to the well every day. They are protesting. If you are honest, come to the well and protest in support of Telangana MPs. Our demand is 'one country, single procurement policy'," she tweeted.

Congress whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore hit back at her saying, "Ex-MPs are not allowed inside Parliament so you can't come to Parliament...TRS MPs are in the Central Hall tasting dhokla and biriyani, not in the well of Lok Sabha. Let's not forget who signed an agreement in August 2021 not to give boiled rice to FCI and strangled the farmers of Telangana?"

PTI