TPCC President and MP Revanth Reddy today demanded a probe by the CBI into the "theft" of lakhs of tonnes of rice from the godowns of the FCI.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President and MP Revanth Reddy today demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the "theft" of lakhs of tonnes of rice from the godowns of the Food Corporation of India.
Referring to the statement made by Union Agriculture Minister Piyush Goyal in the Rajya Sabha that discrepancies had been found in the rice stocks and registers when the central teams went for a physical verification, he said that the Centre should have ordered a CBI probe then and there itself.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Reddy said that the rice procured by the FCI had allegedly been stolen from its godowns in Telangana.
He said that this was revealed when a team of the FCI visited a godown in Warangal and found that nearly 25,000 MTs of rice were missing from the godowns.
"This is just the tip of an iceberg. If 25,000 MTs of rice were stolen from just one godown, then imagine the magnitude of theft from all other godowns. This is a huge multi-crore scam involving the TRS leaders, millers and officials," he said.
He said that the Centre should have immediately ordered a CBI probe after it found 25,000 MTs rice missing from the FCI godown, to understand why there was a huge gap between the actual procurement and the figures furnished by the TRS government. However, the BJP and the TRS were in the scam together, and so all irregularities had been hushed up, and the the TRS and the BJP leaders created distractions by staging fresh dramas on paddy procurement, he alleged.
Reddy also said that the Congress was seeking an appointment with Agriculture Minister Piyush Goyal to seek a CBI probe into the "scam", but was strangely unable to.
"It is strange that TRS leaders get an appointment with Piyush Goyal in no time, but the union minister is not giving an appointment to the Congress MPs," he said.
The TPCC chief also accused the TRS government of pushing the paddy farmers into the clutches of the rice millers' "mafia". He alleged that the TRS government was lying about the number of paddy procurement centres in Telangana. As against the claims of there being 6,875 procurement centres, not even 3,500 centres actually existed in the state, he said. He challenged the TRS government to prove the existence of all 6,875 centres along with the details of the amount of paddy procured at each centre.
Reddy also reiterated the allegation that KCR was implementing all the provisions of repealed controversial farm laws in Telangana to help Adani and Ambani. "The announcement made by KCR that there won't be any procurement centres in the Yasangi season clearly means that the farmers will be forced to sell their produce directly to the corporates. In this scenario, lakhs of farmers will not be able to insist on an MSP for their produce, and will be forced to accept whatever price is offered by the big corporates," he said.
Reddy alleged that TRS MPs were just enacting a drama of protest in the Parliament. "They take pictures of protesting at the Mahatma Gandhi statue holding placards, and spend a few minutes in front of the Speaker's podium. They are spending the rest of their time at Parliament's Central Hall like some students do in their college canteens," he said.
"If TRS is holding a genuine protest and believes that the BJP government is the culprit for not procuring the state's paddy, then why is KCR not coming to Delhi to protest when the Parliament is in session? Why is KCR not making a representation with PM Modi and Agriculture Minister Piyush Goyal on the issue? KCR had earlier announced that he would wage a war against the Centre over the paddy farmers' issue. But when the Parliament is in session, KCR is either resting at Pragathi Bhavan or sleeping at his farmhouse. KCR must explain why he is not coming to Delhi," he said.
"There is no difference between the dramas being enacted by the TRS MPs in Delhi and KCR in Hyderabad. These dramas will never resolve the problems being faced by paddy farmers of Telangana," he claimed.
He said that the "dramas" by the TRS MPs would come to an end on 7th December.
"I've learned from reliable sources that KCR got directions from the BJP leadership to end the party's so-called protest in Delhi with immediate effect. Therefore, the TRS MPs will enact their last show on Tuesday and silently return to Hyderabad," he said.
"KCR had once promised that he would protect the farmers' interests till he was alive. By announcing that the government would not procure their produce, KCR has pushed the state's farmers into a state of uncertainty. Should the farmers then assume that KCR is dead?" he asked.
Reddy asked the farmers, women and other common people to greet the TRS MPs and other leaders with tomatos, eggs and brooms for their betrayal, when the latter entered their villages.
Reddy also said that the Congress would not remain a mute spectator to the injustices being done to the paddy farmers.
"The Congress will soon stage a dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to expose the anti-farmer policies of both the TRS and the BJP governments. We will also expose that the TRS and the BJP are two sides of the same coin," he said.
He also condemned the state government for not organising Dr. Ambedkar's death anniversary function officially, and said that the officials concerned who had neglected such an important occasion were simply acting at the behest of the Chief Minister.