Countering charges of being anti-farmer, Cane Development Minister Suresh Rana blamed the previous Samajwadi Party regime for doing nothing for farmers’ welfare, particularly cane farmers and accused the party of spreading canards against the government.

“The people raising farmers’ issues should see what they did for them while in power. The allegation of the Samajwadi Party leaders is like pot calling the kettle black,” Rana told mediapersons in the state BJP headquarters in Lucknow on Tuesday.

Rana’s reaction came after Samajwadi Party lawmakers protested on Vidhan Bhawan campus blaming the Yogi government for the agrarian crisis. The lawmakers staged a dharna before the winter session sporting garland of potatoes and onions.

The minister said that the Opposition was spreading lies in the name of farmers. “They know well that this government has done commendable work in the farm sector. It is the first government to declare MSP for potato and ensured effective working of wheat and paddy purchase centres,” he said. “Statistics tell the real story. In 2015-16, during the SP rule, cane worth Rs 18,000 crore was purchased from farmers in UP, whereas in the BJP regime, the corresponding figures stand at Rs 35,500 crore (2017-18),” the Cane Development Minister said.

When asked that the SP was accusing the BJP government of holding a short winter session to ‘hide its failures’, Rana said: “We do not need any certificate from the SP. We need certificate from people and farmers of the state. And, they have already blessed us in the past and will continue to do so in the future.”