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PM got us arrested, not interested to discuss paddy procurement issue: Jogi

"He (Vajpayee) got us arrested before the meeting. He does not want to meet us," Jogi told reporters at the Tughlaq Road police station.

"We want the paddy procurement prices to be increased. But even at the existing procurement price (Rs 550 a tonne), we want the Centre to procure the entire produce from the state," Jogi said.

The state had suffered a loss of about Rs 4.23 billion (Rs 423 crore) last year and it could ill-afford any further burden on this count, Jogi said.

A state government spokesman told PTI that paddy production during the current year was expected to be around one million (10 lakh) tonnes against 1.8 million (18 lakh) tonnes last year.

After meeting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Jogi had started his march from the Chhattisgarh Bhawan at Sardar Patel Road, nearly three km away from the prime minister's residence, to press for procurement of paddy from the drought-affected state or alternatively provide financial assistance as compensation.

Jogi is the second Congress chief minister after his Punjab counterpart Amarinder Singh to agitate on the issue of paddy procurement.

Jogi had refused an invitation to lead an eleven-member delegation for his scheduled 1230 hours meeting with Vajpayee saying, "Either all of us will go or none."

He was also to broach the issue of delay in releasing Rs 23 billion (Rs 2300 crore) demanded by the state as drought relief with the prime minister.

More reports from Chhattisgarh

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