Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait joins KCR's Delhi stir against Center's paddy policy

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait also joined the protest.

Rao has demanded the Centre procure entire paddy from the state during the Rabi season.

"We demand for one nation one procurement policy by the Government of India. It's sad that state after state has to come out with demands that should automatically be addressed in the interest of the nation," Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader and KCR's daughter K Kavitha tweeted.

The TRS has been raising this demand for a while and party MPs had also staged protests during the winter session of parliament, and boycotted a large part of the session over the issue.

Holding placards and wearing the party's pink scarves, hundreds of workers and party leaders were present at the sit-in at the Telangana Bhavan.

The day-long dharna is also being seen as TRS' message to the Modi government, in the backdrop of efforts underway to create a consolidated Opposition.

Party workers chanted slogans of 'Jai Telangana', 'Jai KCR', and also hailed Rao as a national leader.

Rao joined the protest, accompanied by Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Tikait, one of the prominent figures of the 2020-21 Farm protests.

TRS MPs, MLCs, MLAs, cabinet ministers, as well as elected representatives of urban and rural local bodies are attending the protest in Delhi.