BJP to hold satyagraha outside Odisha Assembly over farmers’ demands
This comes a day after Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar, in response to Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's letter, wrote to the Odisha Government stating the Centre's prompt response in resolving disputed crop insurance claims.
Bhubaneswar: Amid allegations of malpractice by State authorities and insurance companies in settling claims of farmers in various districts here, the BJP today announced that the party will launch an indefinite satyagraha outside the Odisha Assembly starting Friday to flag the State government’s neglect towards farmers and take up their various issues. This comes a day after Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar, in response to Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s letter, wrote to the Odisha Government stating the Centre’s prompt response in resolving disputed crop insurance claims.
Announcing the same, Odisha BJP general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan said the agitation will stress on various concerns of farmers including farm assistance, crop insurance, supply of fertilisers, etc and if the demands are not addressed, a state-wide agitation will be carried out. ” It is unfortunate that farmers, despite comprising a mjority and significant population in the State, are in the receiving end of such neglect by the State. If the State government does not wake up from its slumber, the BJP along with farmers will stage an indefinite strike outside the Odisha Assembly. Our party stands in solidarity with the entire farming community,” he told mediapersons, adding farmers have no infrastructural support. They are at the mercy of middlemen for resources, supply of seeds, fertilisers, etc. Getting high quality seeds is a dream for them, he added. “The Potato Mission failed. So did Onion Mission. But despite that, there is no policy in place to help farmers recover from the losses. Even today, 90 per cent fertilisers available in the market are duplicate. Farmers don’t get loans on time. The BJD government doesn’t even have a database of farmers,” Harichandan said.
Referring to the 2019 elections, he said the State government had claimed to give farmers Rs 10,000 under KALIA scheme but is giving Rs 4,000. “If it were true to its objective, the government should give the full amount. Even getting timely and due crop insurance is a hassle for farmers. Such state of affairs will not be seen anywhere else in the country,” he stated while hitting out at the BJD-led government.
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