Hyderabad: Diesel price burden on Telangana farmers increased because of repeated fuel hikes, Telangana Minister Ponnam Prabhakar alleged while attacking the BJP-led Central government on Sunday.
The minister criticised the BJP’s “Rythu Gosa – BJP Bharosa” bus yatra and described it as a political exercise aimed at diverting attention from public concerns.
Ponnam Prabhakar said the Centre should first reduce petrol and diesel prices if it genuinely cared about farmers. He alleged that rising fuel prices sharply increased cultivation expenses across Telangana.
According to the minister, higher diesel prices raised tractor, irrigation and transportation costs for farmers. He also alleged that BJP leaders avoided discussing fuel prices despite claiming to support the farming community.
Ponnam Prabhakar further accused the Centre of failing to fully procure paddy produced in Telangana. He said the Union government did not cooperate on boiled rice procurement and levy rice approvals.
Diesel price burden sparks procurement criticism
The minister said the Centre approved procurement of only 53.73 lakh metric tonnes of paddy. However, he said the Telangana government fixed a target of 75 lakh metric tonnes to prevent farmer losses.
Ponnam Prabhakar stated that the state established 8,575 paddy procurement centres across Telangana. Officials also accelerated procurement on a war footing and supplied 21 crore gunny bags at the field level.
He said the Telangana government procured 51 lakh metric tonnes of paddy so far. According to him, authorities credited Rs 8,749 crore as minimum support price directly into farmers’ bank accounts.
The minister also accused the BJP of failing to fulfil promises made to farmers during elections. He referred to commitments on doubling farmers’ income and pensions for elderly farmers.
Ponnam Prabhakar criticised the Centre for increasing the MSP for maize farmers by only Rs 10 per quintal. He demanded an apology from the Union government and accused the BJP of pursuing anti-farmer policies.
