TRS, BJP workers clash in Telangana

The TRS called a  meeting of its  MLAs and MLCs  tomorrow to chart  out its course of action on  the issue.

Mild tension prevailed  during Sanjay Kumar’s  visit in Nalgonda district  with police having to resort  to lathi charge to disperse  TRS cadre and BJP workers  who indulged in stone pelting in Miryalaguda, police  said.

Earlier, the TRS cadre  allegedly threw eggs and  tomatoes on the convoy of  Sanjay Kumar who was  on a visit to Nalgonda and  Suryapet districts to assess  paddy procurement and to  interact with the farmers. In the stone-pelting that  took place after Sanjay  Kumar’s visit in Nalgonda  district, few members of  both the parties and two  policemen suffered minor  injuries, a senior police official told PTI.

Alleging that the BJPled NDA government at  the Centre followed double  standards on paddy procurement in Telangana and  created confusion among  people, the TRS said a meeting of its Legislature Party  would be held on Tuesday  to discuss the issue and prepare a plan of action.

The meeting, to be  chaired by party president and Chief Minister K  Chandrasekhar Rao, would  be held Tuesday evening, it  said.

On Monday, Sanjay Kumar visited paddy procurement centers in Nalgonda  district and alleged that  farmers have been waiting  at such places for many  days now without proper  food and rest.

The chief minister had  earlier promised officials  would come to the fields,  buy paddy and deposit  money in farmers’ bank accounts within 48 hours, he  claimed. Demanding that  the state government procured the paddy produced  in the rainy season without  delay, he said the BJP would  not rest until the TRS government specified as to  when it is going to purchase  the crop and pay the ryots. TRS MLA Kancharla  Bhupal Reddy said the  state government is ready  to purchase the paddy produced during the rainy season and demanded Kumar  make a statement that the  NDA government would  procure the coming ‘yasangi’ (summer) season crop  like in the past.

Another police official  said there was one incident of stone pelting on  Sanjay Kumar’s convoy  in Suryapet in which the  windshield of a vehicle was  damaged. The official, however, said it was not clear if  stones were pelted by TRS  workers.

The ruling party workers protested Kumar’s visit  and raised slogans, holding  black flags even as some of  them also tried to obstruct  the BJP leader’s convoy.  However, the police prevented them from doing so.

The BJP leaders had not  taken any permission nor  there was any prior intimation to police on Sanjay  Kumar’s visit to Nalgonda,  the official said adding the  election code is in force for  MLC elections. Police were  in the process of registering cases against those TRS  cadre and BJP members  who were involved in stone  pelting, besides Sanjay Kumar for not obtaining permission and for alleged violation of code of conduct.

The TRS organised protests across the state on  Friday last alleging the  NDA government refused to  procure paddy in the state  during the coming summer  crop season. TRS president  and Chief Minister Rao,  who sought procurement  of entire paddy grown in  the state by the Centre, said  that his party would raise it  in parliament. -(PTI)