The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is likely to boycott the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament over a series of issues, ANI reported on Tuesday. Sources have informed ANI that the TRS MPs will also stage a brief sit-in protest at Gandhi Statue at the Parliament premises where they will formally announce their decision. The reasons for the boycott are issues pertaining to paddy procurement and 12 suspended MPs among others.
TRS to boycott this entire Parliament session from today. They’ll stage a brief sit-in protest at Gandhi Statue at Parliament premises & formally announce their decision. Issues for boycott will be paddy procurement, 12 suspended MPs & other issues related to Telangana: Sources
— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2021
TRS’ scuffle with Centre over paddy procurement
Earlier in November, Telangana Chief Minister and TRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao has said that due to the Centre’s “unclear and often confusing policies”, the farming community in Telangana state and agriculture sector in the country are facing problems. Rao demanded that the Centre should declare Nation’s Comprehensive Food Grains Procurement policy while asserting that the party was committed to protecting the interests of farmers.
In addition, the Telangana CM had also vowed to rake up the issue in the Parliament in a bid to build pressure on the Centre about this matter. Therefore, he had guided his party’s Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs on how to raise their voices and push the Centre to provide clarity on the procurement of Paddy in the state.
Before this, K Chandrashekhar Rao, his cabinet colleagues and other TRS leaders on November 18 had held a dharna in Hyderabad against the Centre’s alleged “anti-farmer attitude and unhelpful stance” over paddy procurement in Telangana. Rao asserted that the party started protesting against the Centre as the state’s farming community may suffer due to the Centre’s policies.
“We started this battle because our farming community may suffer due to the Centre’s policies, and as the Central Government of the day is showing reluctance, negligence towards farmers and agriculture,” Rao had said.
“We say you change your attitude, come to the rescue of farmers, withdraw the autocratic farm laws and change the policy to instal metres at agriculture pump sets. This battle is not going to end today and we have to fight till the end,” he added, addressing the gathering at Dharna Chowk.
Opposition MPs suspended from Rajya Sabha for the entire Winter Session of Parliament
The TRS’ likely boycott is also due to the recent suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha Opposition MPs. The parliamentarians were suspended due to their “unruly” conduct in the previous session held in August. The Opposition has termed the suspension as “undemocratic and in violation of all the Rules of Procedure” of the Upper House. The suspended MPs include – six from the Congress, two each from the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from the CPI and CPI(M). The leaders have been holding day-long protests in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Parliament complex demanding revocation of their suspension.
