Just a day after Congress MP A Revanth Reddy
accused the TRS of being a secret ally of the BJP-led Centre, for not supporting the ongoing farmers' protests and boycotting President Ram Nath Kovind’s address at the joint session of Parliament yesterday, head of the TRS Parliamentary Party K Keshava Rao today said that the party was in fact opposed to the implementation of the Centre's three farm laws.
Talking to the media in Delhi, Rao claimed that the TRS' MPs had abstained from walking out of the Presidential address preceding the start of this year's Budget Session not because they were anti-farmer, but because they did not wish to condone the violence, allegedly started by the protesting farmers, that shook the Red Fort on January 26.
"We support the farmers' struggle to ensure the continuance of the MSP system. However, we did not stage a walk out during President Ram Nath Kovind’s address yesterday because we did not, by any means, wish to support the violent behaviour displayed by the protestors at the Red Fort, on Republic Day," he said.
The TRS MP then expressed his displeasure at the behaviour of the Centre, alleging that it did not "honour" the federal spirit of India.
"The Centre's decision to bring in the laws clearly indicates its lack of respect for the federal spirit of India. Agriculture is after all a state subject. It is critical that all the state governments be involved in any policy-decisions made on the subject," he said.
Rao also urged the Centre to take steps to resolve its ongoing stand-off with the protesting farmers at the earliest.
"The Centre can no longer ignore the farmers' demands as their agitation has now become even more serious. It is best that the NDA regime take steps to address the farmers' concerns regarding the new farm Acts," he opined.
Continuing his tirade against the Centre, the TRS bigwig then assailed it for "failing" to fulfil the promises it had made during the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014.
"The promises made by the union government during the bifurcation of AP have still not been fulfilled. The government must work towards fulfilling its promises now," he said.
Another MP, TRS Lok Sabha head Nama Nageshwar Rao, also addressed the issue.
The MP said that the Telangana government stood by the farmers of the state and the nation, and urged the union government to agree to their demands.
He also said that the TRS regime would soon initiate the process of securing funds from the Centre for the development of the state's highways and railways.