Raising the farmers’ issue again, the Opposition Congress on Tuesday asked Chhattisgarh’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to explain why the minimum support price of paddy did not find any mention in its manifesto.
Congress state president Bhupesh Baghel and legislature party leader TS Singh Deo said by not announcing the minimum support price of paddy as promised, the BJP has cheated the farmers of Chhattisgarh once again.
The Congress duo said the BJP had earlier promised to increase the minimum support price of paddy to Rs2100 per quintal in its manifesto released for the assembly election held in the state in November last year.
“But after the BJP retained power in Chhattisgarh late last year, chief minister Raman Singh evaded from his responsibility by simply writing a letter to the Prime Minister on paddy support price issue,”the Congress leaders quoted in a press statement.
“Now the BJP has unveiled its manifesto for the lok Sabha election, but the party did not mention that it will increase the minimum support price to Rs2100,” the statement added.The Congress claimed that the intention of the BJP is to cheat the people and it was clear from the beginning. The party had made the same promises during the last three assembly elections also but it failed to implement it after it was voted to power.
“In the 2008 election the BJP had promised to provide a bonus of Rs270 per quintal of paddy over and above of the minimum support price but never gave it fully after it was voted to power,” the Congress alleged.The BJP government has yet to disburse a pending bonus of Rs3880 cr to the farmers. In the 2013 assembly election, the BJP had promised to provide Rs2100 as the minimum support price of paddy and Rs300 as bonus but neither the government increased the support price nor gave the bonus, they alleged. Baghel and Deo stated that it was clear from the BJP manifesto that it does not want to help the farmers.