Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay accused the Telangana government of pushing farmers into distress through the paddy procurement delay. He said the state failed to purchase harvested grain on time.
Bandi Sanjay visited the paddy procurement centre at Kazipur in Kothapalli mandal. During the visit, he interacted with farmers over local issues. Farmers told him they were waiting for days to sell their produce at procurement centres.
According to farmers, officials and middlemen deducted four to five kilograms from each bag. They allegedly used moisture content, wastage and quality checks as reasons for the cuts. Farmers also complained about delays in issuing tokens.
Later, Bandi Sanjay questioned why the state government was not responding despite farmers facing hardships at procurement centres. He said the Centre released funds for every grain procured. He added that the Centre also paid commission to the state government for procurement operations.
The Union Minister alleged that ministers could face public anger if they visited procurement centres. He said farmers faced stress while cultivating crops and while waiting to sell harvested paddy.
Paddy procurement delay triggers farmer anger
Bandi Sanjay claimed that Telangana expected around 90 lakh metric tonnes of paddy this season. However, the state had procured only 15 lakh metric tonnes so far. He warned of action against people allegedly collecting commissions for issuing procurement tokens.
He also demanded strict action against officials involved in excessive deductions under the names of moisture, wastage and quality checks. In addition, he urged the government to ensure minimum support price payments without arbitrary cuts.
The BJP leader further accused the Congress government of deceiving all sections of society. He alleged that the state failed to release fee reimbursement funds for SC, ST, BC and EBC students despite receiving Central allocations.
Bandi Sanjay also questioned how the government claimed a shortage of funds for guarantees, employees and pensioners while allegedly spending heavily on political activities. He demanded that the government speed up paddy procurement on a war footing.
Live : Addressing the Media in Kazipur https://t.co/3XWLoy0djp
— Bandi Sanjay Kumar (@bandisanjay_bjp) May 5, 2026