Alleging farmers were forced to sell below MSP, the BJP says it is a “conspiracy”.

State BJP president N. Ramchander Rao said on Monday that “a big conspiracy is going on to force farmers to sell their produce below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) due to deliberate delays in awarding contracts by the Congress government with the malicious intention of benefiting middlemen and millers.”

He alleged that not only paddy but also crops like maize and jowar (sorghum) brought to the shopping centers are either ignored or subjected to delays forcing farmers into distress sales.

Speaking to the media in Parigi and Vikarabad on the first day of a three-day mall tour, Mr. Rao said the BJP would expose “massive irregularities and fraud” in grain procurement.

The ‘Farmer’s Plight – BJP’s Assurance’ tour, which was attended by MPs, MLAs and other senior leaders, started from the party’s state office earlier in the day. The initiative aims to inspect shopping centres, highlight the difficulties faced by farmers on the ground and put pressure on the government to act.

Describing their ordeal, several farmers broke down and said they had to wait for days under the scorching sun at threshers and shopping centers to sell their produce while officials and millers remained indifferent.

Mr. Rao accused the Congress government of not ensuring timely award of contracts, not providing fair prices and not maintaining basic facilities at IKP (Indira Kranti Patham) centres. Despite repeated appeals by the BJP’s farm wing to Agriculture Minister Tummal Nageshwara Rao and Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao to take precautionary measures, the government responded with “sheer negligence”.

Demanding immediate action, the BJP chief urged the government to procure “to the last grain” as promised and deal with piles of paddy lying unattended at several centres. Reassuring the farmers, Mr. Rao said the BJP would stand firm with them and continue to fight for the solution of agricultural problems.

“For the last 10-15 days, farmers have been waiting for purchase. They are suffering from shortage of tarps and bags, delayed arrival of trucks and premature weighing,” he said. He further alleged that officials hastily packed and transported grain overnight to mills after the announcement of the BJP tour, which he termed as an attempt to deceive farmers and cover up the “complete failure of the government”.

Several leaders, including MLAs A. Maheshwar Reddy, Palvai Harish Babu and Dhanpal Suryanarayana Gupta; MPs DK Aruna, Etela Rajender, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy and M. Raghunandan Rao; and MLC AVN Reddy, Anji Reddy and Malka Komuraiah are part of the tour.

Published – 25 May 2026 23:37 IST