BJP to take to agitation on farmers’ issues

OST Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Jan 27:

Alleging that about 1.45 lakh farmers have committed suicide during the tenure of UPA government at the Centre, the farmer wing of BJP today announced that a ‘Krushak Adhikar Divas’ will be organised in the state on January 30 to highlight the failures and anti-farmer policies of the UPA government.

The party leaders also threatened to resort to ‘rail roko’ on Februray 7 to observe ‘Krushak Akrosh Divas’ if the government fails to fulfill the demands of farmers within seven days.

The pro-farmer agitation plan is part of the party’s national campaign against the incumbent government at the Centre.

“The farmers are being paid compensation and other facilities on the basis of laws and provisions framed 50 years ago. The farmer is also not getting the actual price for his produce due to the anti-farmer policy,” said Anil Sharma, national general secretary of BJP Kisan Morcha at a press conference here.

He said even though the Swaminathan Commission has submitted its report seven years ago, the Union Government has dumped it in the cold storage, thereby ignoring the recommendations of the Commission which addressed the genuine needs and interests of the farmers.

Sharma also demanded compensation of at least Rs 10,000 per acre to farmers who suffer crop damage during natural calamities.