Hyderabad, May 25 -- Downplaying the criticism of the state government by opposition parties with regard to the delay in paddy procurement, Telangana Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao claimed that the delay was being caused by the Centre's tyrannical policies.

He claimed that the transportation of gunny bags to paddy procurement centres in the state was being delayed because of the war in the Middle East, and due to the shortage of diesel, lorries were stalled everywhere.

He said that while the Centre was creating these problems, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) state unit was shamelessly holding bus yatras in the state.

Stating that neither BJP nor the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) had any right to talk about the farmers, he...