The Opposition walks out from the Assembly over the government's failure to make a convincing case on a ban on rice exports to other states.
All major Opposition parties, on Tuesday, staged a walk-out from the state Legislative Assembly over the state government's failure to give them a convincing reply on an order imposing a ban on the export of rice to other states.
Replying to a question raised by Lok Satta Party MLA Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, during Question Hour on Tuesday, Civil Supplies Minister D Sridhar Babu admitted that there was a ban on the sale of superfine varieties of rice from AP to other States.
"With a view to ensure that superfine preferred varieties like BPT, Sonamasuri, Sambamasuri and Vijaymasuri, are available to the consumers in the retail market at affordable prices within the state, it is ensured that these superfine preferred varieties are sold within the state only, to contain the prices of rice," he said.
The minister said that due to the sale of these varieties within the state, their prices were less than those compared to neighbouring states.
However, the minister's reply led to an intense debate for about 2 and a half hours, on the movement of rice in AP. Dr. JP said that the government had violated provisions of the Essential Commodities Act to restrict the movement of rice, thereby depriving farmers of better prices on their produce. He said the state government had no right to restrict the export of rice to other states.
However, the Civil Supplies minister could not give him a convincing reply.
Intervening, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the ban was imposed by the Centre, and that the prices of rice in AP would increase if the ban was lifted.
Speaking on the issue, Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu accused the state government of being anti-farmer. He said farmers were being forced to sell their produce at lower prices due to the ban.
He said that the cost of agricultural products, including seeds, has increased by about 300% to 400%, but that farmers were not getting remunerative prices for their produce.
The Chief Minister, the Civil Supplies Minister, and Agriculture Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, failed to convince the Opposition parties, which continued to grill the government on several problems being faced by the farmers in the state.
Ministers Botsa Satyanarayana and D Manikeshwara Prasad Rao, TDP members D Narendra, Revanth Reddy, Gali Muddu Krishnamma Naidu and R Chandrasekhar, E Laksminarayana (BJP), J Rangareddy (CPM) and G Mallesh (CPI) also spoke on the issue.
Later, the TDP, CPI, CPM and BJP MLAs staged a walk-out from the House in protest, while the Lok Satta member registered a "strong protest".
Meanwhile, Speaker Nadendla Manohar announced said a short-duration discussion on the agriculture sector would be taken up in the Assembly on Friday. (INN)