• Shabbir speaks to Kamareddy Collector on Shabdipur village snake scare incident
• Congress workers will take Warangal Declaration to all farmers: Shabbir
• Shabbir commences the ‘Rachabanda programme’ in the Kamareddy district

Hyderabad/Kamareddy, May 21, 2022: Former Minister & ex-Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir demanded that the State Government take immediate measures to procure paddy from farmers across the State.

Speaking after launching the Rachabanda programme in Shabdipur village of Kamareddy district on Saturday, Shabbir Ali said that lakhs of tonnes of paddy were lying on the khallas (farm yards) across the Telangana as the State Government made no arrangements to transport them to the market yards. He said thousands of farmers were forced to spend the night in the open skies, along with their produce, due to the negligent attitude of the TRS Govt. This has exposed the farmers to several threats, especially snake bites, he said.

Shabbir Ali said farmers of Shabdipur, who are forced to sleep in the open in their ‘khalla’ along with their paddy for the last 18 days had a miraculous escape from a snakebite last night. On being informed about the incident, he spoke to the District Collector requesting him to arrange the vehicles to transport the paddy to the market yard.

The Congress leader said that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao did not visit Delhi, but he fled away to the national capital only to avoid the wrath of paddy farmers. Of over 56 lakh MTs of paddy, only 20 lakh MTs have been procured so far. Lakhs of farmers are still waiting at their ‘khallas’ to sell their paddy. But the local administration made no arrangements for their procurement. He said that the Chief Minister had postponed the Palle Bata programme only to avoid angry reactions from the paddy farmers.

He demanded that the State Government procure the entire paddy without any further delay. He said by not procuring the paddy from farmers by paying MSP, the TRS Govt was forcing them to sell it in the open market at lower prices.

Shabbir Ali said that the Congress workers would carry the Warangal Declaration to every household in Telangana State to assure farmers that the next Congress Government would resolve all their problems. He said AICC leader Rahul Gandhi gave a commitment that if Congress party is voted to power in the next elections, then the Congress Govt would waive off crop loans up to Rs. 2 lakh in a single take; give annual financial input ‘Indramma Rythu Bharosa’ of Rs. 15,000 per acre to small and marginal farmers, including tenant farmers, besides paying Rs. 12,000 per annum to landless farm labourers registered with NREGS. He said that Congress would provide better MSPs for all agriculture crops and a turmeric board would also be set up.

Kamareddy DCC President Kailas Srinivas Rao and other senior leaders were also present.