Govt rejects allegation of ignoring farmers’ interests
ANDALIB AKHTER
Participating in the discuss
ion on the agrarian situation in the country in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today came down heavely on Modi goverenment ‘Anti farmer and anti poor’ policies.
Rahul criticised the Government for what he called not enhancing Minimum support price and agricultural credit. He alleged that instead of agricultural growth, the government was interested in pleasing the corporate Houses. He accused the Government of hurting the farmers by land acquisition. Mr.Gandhi said that the Government is not being clear as to how much crop area had suffered the damage by unseasonal rain and hail storms. He demanded that Prime Minister should visit the affected areas to assess the situation. Mr.Gandhi said, the harvested foodgrains were lying in the Mandis and the procurement agencies did not rise to the situation.
“The acche din government, they call themselves that, has failed the country,” Mr Gandhi said, suggesting that the Prime Minister visit farmers in distress as his party men chanted, “foreign trips.”
“Yours is a government of big people, a suit-boot sarkar,” said Gandhi, pausing ever so slightly after the word “suit” to emphasise his reference to the expensive, name-striped suit the PM wore to much criticism during US president Barack Obama’s visit to India in January.
After protests from the BJP he added, “The suit matter has ended, you have auctioned it, I will not talk about it. Happy?”
Gandhi showed many statistics, challenging what he called the government’s “double speak on numbers” on the extent of damage to crops in the country because of unseasonal rains and hailstorm.
“On one hand you’re weakening the farmer. Then when he’s weak you’ll strike him down with the axe of your Land Ordinance,” he alleged.
Rahul also warned the government, “You are making a big mistake by hurting the farmers and poor. They are the most powerful. Not the big businessmen in their fancy cars,” adding, “The PM understands political calculations. 67% of the population depends on agriculture…why is he angering this vast chunk?”
The Prime Minister was not in the Lok Sabha when Rahul made his 20-minute speech during a debate on the agrarian crisis. He was frequently interrupted by the overwhelmingly larger treasury benches, and union minister Venkaiah Naidu had to request them to allow the Congress leader to speak.
However the government said that it was committed to the welfare of the farmers and has taken number of steps including higher compensation for crop losses. Intervening in a discussion on the agrarian situation in the country in the Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkiah Naidu rejected the opposition’s allegation that the Modi government was ignoring the interests of farmers and labourers. He said the political parties need to come together to find an ever-lasting solution to the farmers issues.
Listing out the various initiatives by the Government in handling the situation which arose out of unseasonal rains and hailstorm in seven states, Mr.Naidu said that the Prime Minister had instructed Union Ministers to visit the affected areas and assess the damages. He told that the Prime Minister had announced the reduction in the extent of damage from 50 percent to 33 percent for the purpose of compensation. He told the House that the Swaminathan Comittee report needs to be studied and implemented.