Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday came down heavily on the Centre for its anti-farmer policies and declared that the TRS is ready to lead a nation-wide agitation of farmers.

CM KCR was addressing ministers, MPs, state legislators and other TRS leaders after leading a three-hour long ‘maha dharna’ at Indira Chowk here to protest the Centre’s policies on rice procurement. The TRS chief asked the Centre to clarify whether it will procure rice from the state or not.

He alleged that instead of giving a clear reply to the question, the Centre was adopting delaying tactics creating confusion among farmers while state BJP leaders were trying to provoke farmers for their political mileage. KCR tore into the BJP government at the Centre saying people have understood all its drama of whipping up communal passions by pitting one section of people against the other and cashing in on the sentiments.

KCR reminded the Centre that procurement of agricultural produce was its responsibility as the Food Corporation of India comes under its control and it has godowns across the country and can even export the food grains.