Piyush Goyal Insulted Telangana On Paddy Row: Ministers

The Telangana government today lashed out at the BJP government at the Centre for "duping" the farmers of Telangana on the paddy row.

Speaking to press persons at Telangana Bhavan, ministers Niranjan Reddy, Prashanth Reddy, Gangula Kamalakar and Ajay Kumar slammed the Centre for its "double standards".

The ministers who returned from Delhi after asking union food and civil supplies minister Piyush Goyal to procure paddy stocks from the state and getting rebuffed, first met Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao at Pragathi Bhavan and apprised him of the developments.

Goyal had slammed the state government for "misguiding" the farmers on the paddy row. He also criticised the Chief Minister for trying to blame the Centre on the issue instead of procuring the paddy.

Speaking to the media after meeting the CM, the ministers said that the Centre was insulting them and the state on the paddy row and other issues.

"We urged the Centre to change its policies to be able to procure the paddy from our state, but Goyal made derisive comments," they lamented.

"The Centre has been showing a discriminating attitude towards our state. The BJP government should avoid such policies of vengeance and trying to suppress our state. BJP MPs Bandi Sanjay and D Arvind should exert pressure on the Centre to get our paddy stocks bought if they have any affection for the farmers. And is union minister Kishan Reddy not a son of Telangana? Why is he not taking up the matter with the Modi government? The BJP government which opposed the UPA regime for ignoring the states' development is following the same route now," they said.

The ministers also slammed the union government for the rise in fuel and gas cylinder prices.

"We suggested steps to use petrol with 20% ethanol mixture to decrease pollution and save oil, but the Centre paid no heed to us," they claimed.

They demanded the immediate clearance of the paddy and rice stocks of the state, and a repeal of the rise in the prices of fuel and gas.