Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Deputy Leader in the Telangana Assembly, T. Harish Rao, on Monday issued a two-day ultimatum to the state government, warning that he would lead a mass farmer protest if paddy procurement is not expedited immediately. The warning came after Rao visited the paddy procurement centre in Ensanpally village, Siddipet Urban Mandal, where farmers have reportedly been stranded for days at drying floors waiting for their produce to be lifted.

Ground Reality at Procurement Centres

During his visit, Rao personally spoke with farmers about the hardships they are enduring. He alleged that procurement operations have stalled even as the Rohini Karte — the peak summer season — has set in, leaving paddy stocks exposed in open drying yards to rain and heat. He claimed that only one-third of the total paddy has been procured so far, with the remaining two-thirds still lying in the open.

In a particularly grim account, Rao alleged that in Kolcharam, Medak district, a farmer died atop his own paddy heap, which was reportedly rotting due to rains. He further claimed that across the state, 10 to 12 farmers have already lost their lives within these drying yards, though these figures could not be independently verified at the time of reporting.

The Procurement Shortfall

Rao pointed to what he described as a significant rollback in the government's procurement commitment. He alleged that while the state is expected to yield a harvest of 1.40 crore tonnes, Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy — who had earlier promised to procure 90 lakh tonnes — has now reportedly reduced that target to 70 lakh tonnes. Rao questioned what farmers were expected to do with the remaining produce.

'Does this mean that farmers are expected to sell the remaining 70 lakh tonnes to middlemen and incur heavy losses?' Rao asked at a media briefing.

He also alleged that rice millers are currently refusing to unload produce unless each bag contains a minimum of 43 kg, causing farmers a loss of 150 kilograms per acre. When farmers raised this concern with officials, they were reportedly told to settle the matter directly with the millers.

BRS Attacks Congress Government

Rao launched a sharp attack on the Indian National Congress (Congress) state government, alleging a cascade of failures — from the non-disbursement of Rythu Bandhu funds to inadequate urea supply and power shortages — culminating in what he called a total breakdown of the paddy procurement machinery.

'Having failed to ensure the supply of urea and electricity, and to disburse Rythu Bandhu, this government has now completely failed even in the task of procuring the paddy that farmers toiled hard to cultivate throughout the season,' Rao said. He argued that farmers had not faced such distress even during the united Andhra Pradesh era under Chief Ministers such as YSR, Roshaiah, and Kiran Kumar Reddy.

He accused Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy of shifting blame onto the Centre rather than acting. Rao invoked the example of former Chief Minister and BRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), who he said had personally staged protests in Delhi and ensured procurement even when the Centre declined. 'If you are capable, go to Delhi and fight for the cause; do not leave the farmers in the lurch,' he said, addressing Revanth Reddy directly.

Protests Already Under Way

Rao noted that farmers have already begun staging road blockades in Mittapalli, Nanganur, and Chinnakodur, yet the government has, according to him, shown no response. He criticised the absence of any ministerial visit to procurement centres and warned that if the situation is not resolved within two days, he would mobilise thousands of farmers for a large-scale protest.

With the harvest season at its peak and procurement reportedly stalled, the coming days will be critical in determining whether the Telangana government can avert a wider farmer agitation.