Revanth should resign if govt cannot procure all paddy: BJP MP

Hyderabad: Telangana BJP MP Dharmapuri Arvind on Friday demanded chief minister Revanth Reddy to resign if his govt was unable to procure the entire estimated paddy produced and delivered to the Food Corporation of India (FCI). He alleged that despite repeated claims by the Congress govt, Telangana had fallen short of procuring nearly 35 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy over the past two years.

Addressing a media conference at the BJP headquarters, Arvind said the chief minister had no moral right to blame the Centre for procurement issues if the govt failed to complete procurement operations efficiently. “The Centre or FCI will not arbitrarily decide how much paddy is to be procured; it is based on dialogue with the state govt and after arriving at estimates. If he cannot complete the job, let the Centre take over the reins in the form of President’s Rule. Telangana was supposed to give to FCI 140 LMT of paddy, but fell well short of the estimates given”, he said.

He criticised Revanth Reddy’s remarks on dumping paddy in front of BJP leaders’ residences and termed them irresponsible.

Arvind said it was the responsibility of the govt to establish procurement centres well before harvesting began and ensure farmers did not face inconvenience in selling their produce. Instead of resolving the problems, the Congress govt was attempting to shift the blame on the Union govt, he alleged.

Questioning the claim of transportation constraints, he asked how tractors and lorries were readily available for the transport of sand and other materials but were allegedly unavailable for moving farmers’ paddy.