Leaders of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) staged a protest near the Telangana Assembly on Wednesday, demanding that the state government ensure procurement of maize at the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Holding maize cobs as a symbol of their protest, BRS MLAs and MLCs gathered at the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial Gun Park before marching toward the Assembly. The protest was led by T. Harish Rao, deputy leader of the party in the Assembly.
The legislators raised slogans urging the government to immediately open procurement centres for maize and guarantee farmers the MSP of ?2,400 per quintal. They also demanded an additional bonus of ?500 for maize growers.
Harish Rao stated that farmers had cultivated maize across nearly 8 lakh acres, trusting the government’s push for crop diversification. He pointed out that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao had encouraged farmers to shift away from paddy cultivation.
However, despite the harvest reaching markets over two weeks ago, procurement centres have not been opened, forcing farmers to sell their produce to middlemen at prices between ?1,600 and ?1,700—well below the MSP.
The BRS also highlighted additional distress faced by farmers due to unseasonal rains and recent hailstorms, which damaged maize, mangoes, and other crops. According to the party, maize stocks lying in market yards were soaked, worsening farmers’ losses.
Criticising the government further, Harish Rao said that the promised crop insurance scheme has not been implemented and that input subsidies have not been provided for the past two years. He urged the authorities to immediately assess crop damage across districts and release compensation to affected farmers.
Tension briefly escalated at the Assembly entrance when security personnel allegedly prevented BRS legislators from entering with maize cobs. The party claimed that marshals attempted to snatch the cobs from Harish Rao, resulting in a minor injury to his hand.
Calling the incident an attack on their right to represent farmers, BRS leaders condemned the authorities’ actions and staged a protest at the entrance before eventually entering the Assembly.
