Congress leaders Seek CBI Enquiry Into Paddy Procurement

A delegation of Congress leaders today called on Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and submitted a representation on the issue of paddy procurement.

The delegation, led by TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy, alleged that the TRS had joined hands with the millers of the State in order to loot the farmers, and that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had deliberately delayed the paddy procurement to facilitate that.

The party said that by the time the CM announced that the State government itself would procure the paddy, several farmers had already sold their produce to middlemen and rice millers for a very low price, and that such farmers had sustained a loss of Rs. 3,000 crore to Rs. 4,000 crore due to that.

The party urged the Governor to order a CBI inquiry into the issue.

Referring to the statement of Union Minister G Kishan Reddy that the details related to 8.34 lakh metric tonnes of paddy were not tallying, the party sought a CBI inquiry into that as well.

Reddy said that the Congress had also urged the Governor to take steps for the reduction of the electricity charges in the State which were recently hiked, as also to hold a review meeting on the prevention of drug trafficking.

He said that they had also urged the Governor to take steps for the filling of 1.91 lakh vacant government posts in Telangana, and for the payment of Rs. 3,016 as unemployment allowance each month to each of the eligible unemployed youth in the State.

He also asserted that the Congress was not against the constitution of private universities, but that it was against the policies of the State government that he claimed were diluting the government universities. He said that the party had urged the Governor to take steps for the enhancement of the retirement age of university professors from the existing 60 years to 65 years.