TRS gets closer to opposition due to home political compulsions

New Delhi, Dec 7:  With the BJP's victory in the Huzurabad bypolls indicating its increasing footprint in Telangana, the state's ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which had come to the rescue of the government on multiple times in the upper house of Parliament, on Tuesday decided to boycott the remaining part of the Parliament session on the issue of paddy procurement in the state.

TRS leader K. Keshav Rao said that the Centre has been saying that it will not procure 'parboiled rice' which means that there will be no procurement of rabi crops. "We demand that the government bring a national procurement policy," he said.

But the real reason behind the TRS' action is the BJP's spreading influence as seen as shown by the victory of former minister and TRS leader Eatala Rajender, who was dropped from the state cabinet by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in May after some farmers accused him of encroaching their lands. Rajender, who denied any wrongdoing, quit the TRS and resigned from the Assembly, later joined the BJP, and contested the ensuing by-election from Huzurabad on its ticket.

The poll reverse has caused the TRS to rethink its strategy and it is now moved closed to the opposition block as it has national ambitions too.

Hinting at his national ambitions once again, party head and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao sought to link the paddy issue with the farmers' agitation over the three controversial farm laws and other issues. He expressed solidarity with the farmers protesting in north India since the past one year, and declared that his party is ready to lead the national movement of farmers.

So on Tuesday, the party suddenly decided to boycott the remaining Winter session after raising the paddy procurement issue in both houses. On Tuesday the party MPs held placards seeking a bill on MSPs and a decision on rabi crops. The party has been raising the issue of procurement since the Parliament commenced work but has not got any assurance from the government, TRS leaders said.

With the Centre ruling out lifting of the parboiled rice from Telangana, the Chief Minister, lashing out at the Centre for "running away" from its social responsibility, announced that the state government will not set up paddy procurement centres in the coming Rabi season but was challenged on this by state BJP President Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

"You will have to procure paddy in the coming season. We will see how you will not set up procurement centres," Sanjay said in a challenge to the Chief Minister, further souring relations between the two parties.