Uttam Reddy's Letter To PM Modi On KCR, Telangana Farmers' Plight: Full Text

Senior Telangana Congress Leader Uttam Kumar Reddy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's handling of farmers' issues in state. 

Here's the full text of Uttam Reddy's letter to PM Modi...

I am writing to you regarding the situation that has emerged in Telangana as a result of the passing of the new farm laws in Parliament. You and your Ministers have time and again stated, both inside and outside Parliament, that neither MSP nor existing procurement centres will be affected by these laws. The Honourable President, in his address to the joint session of Parliament, even stated that new procurement centres will be opened in order to procure agricultural produce. However, the announcements by Shri K . Chandrashekhar Rao , the CM of Telangana after the new farm laws were passed is completely contradictory to your statements in Parliament and outside. 

After the Chief Minister of Telangana, Mr. K. Chandrashekhar Rao, met you and the Home Minister in December, he came back to Telangana and announced that, due to the new farm laws, he will be closing down approximately 10,000 procurement centres run by Indira Kranthi Patham Women’s Self Help Groups and Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies. The Chief Minister further stated that the government is not a rice or dal miller or trader and hence does not have the responsibility to procure produce at MSP. There are two things to take note of in this announcement. First, that Mr. K. Chandrashekhar Rao has categorically stated that this decision was taken because of the new laws passed regarding the procurement of agricultural produce. Second, that the CM’s opinion regarding these laws completely changed after his meeting with you and the Home Minister. The way in which these events have unfolded has led to even more anxiety and insecurity among the farmers of Telangana regarding the Government’s true intentions behind the passing of these controversial farm laws. 

In your speech in Lok Sabha yesterday, you stated that the farm laws are not forcing the farmers to do anything new, but just giving them more options regarding where to sell their produce. I would like to point out that the Chief Minister of Telangana’s announcement is doing the exact opposite by abolishing the procurement centres in villages, and this seems to have been enabled by the passing of these new laws. If the Chief Minister of a state interprets these laws to mean that procurement centres are to be shut down and it is not the Government’s responsibility to procure agricultural produce at MSP, then it is clear that the farmers’ demand that these laws be repealed is justified. In view of the above, I request you to give me an appointment to brief you on the situation that has emerged in Telangana as a result of the passing of the farm laws and the likely shutting down of procurement centres in the State.

Here's a look at Uttam's letter to PM Modi on plight of farmers in Telangana.

Wrote to PM Shri Narendra Modi to bring to light the situation that has emerged in Telangana after passing of the draconian farm laws. The likely shutting down of procurement centres has led to enormous anxiety & insecurity among Telangana’s farmers.#FarmLaws pic.twitter.com/utDrPn7V24

— Uttam Kumar Reddy (@UttamTPCC) February 11, 2021