Farmer issues are to take centre stage in Telangana as BJP chief JP Nadda heads to the state on Thursday and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi plans to meet families of farmers who committed suicide in the last few years this weekend.

While Gandhi is expected to address a rally in Warangal and hold farmer-specific meetings, BJP president JP Nadda is also set to visit Mahabubnagar on Thursday while home minister Amit Shah is expected to participate in the BJP’s ongoing Praja Sangrama Yatra on May 14.

Among the first political visits by Gandhi after a short break and a personal visit to Nepal that triggered a controversy over his visit to a nightclub in Kathmandu, the anti-TRS tone that he is expected to take in his visit will also be keenly watched. Telangana CM K Chandrasekhara Rao had started meeting regional parties for an anti-BJP front, and has also roped in political strategist Prashant Kishor to fine-tune his party’s strategy. Assembly elections in Telangana are scheduled for next year. Kishor’s talks to join the Congress failed recently, and one of the reasons was also said to be his association with regional parties, such as TRS, that are electorally opposed to the Congress.

K Keshava Rao (KK), TRS Secretary General and Rajya Sabha MP, said with regard to farmers, “the truth was for everyone to see, as the KCR-led state government had not only encouraged crop diversification, but also ensured the highest production of paddy.” “Even when the Centre refused to procure our paddy giving the excuse of parboiled rice, we are finding solutions. I wouldn’t waste time countering what Rahul Gandhi says because the farmers of the state know how much the CM has done for them.”

BJP, while claiming that Rahul Gandhi has no “moral right” to visit Telangana after the UPA tenure saw the highest farmers’ suicides, is to hold a mega rally in Hyderabad against TRS on Thursday, while TRS had decided to hold district level protests against the Centre’s paddy procurement policy. Congress state president Revanth Reddy has appealed to farmers of the state to send “at least one member of their family to the rally of Rahul Gandhi, who will look at solutions for their problems.” Those in know of the matter said the rally was an attempt to boost the morale of the Congress workers and strengthen the party’s organisation, particularly in south and south-east regions of the state, specifically in places such as Nalgonda, Warangal and Khammam where the Congress party still has some hold.