Following sporadic state-wide violence in the aftermath of Mandsaur police firing few days back, the BJP in an attempt to undo its anti-farmer ‘image' has started damage control exercise.
While Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh began his fast on Saturday and started dialogue with agitated farmers at Bhopal's Dussehara Maidan, far away in Indore, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvergiya at Residency Kothi on Saturday tried to soothe the frayed temper of farmers of the region by inviting them for a dialogue. The meeting which was attended by large number of farmers and senior BJP leaders of the region including the district BJP president Ashok Somani, district panchayat vice-president Gopal Singh Chouhary, the farmers reeled out their grievances and woes to the BJP leaders.
Describing amendments in the land Acquisition Act as anti-farmers, demanded withdrawal of this Act. The farmers said in the existing Act, the farmers have been stripped of their rights of compensation and move court and such provisions in the Act must be withdrawn with immediate effect.
Pointing out anomalies in the Export Import Policy and the Crop Insurance Scheme, the farmers stressed the need of making necessary changes in these schemes. The farmers also expressed their annoyances with the administration and the way they are being made to make rounds of government departments in the district administration for for various works related to land demarcation, transfer, registries etc. Accusing patwaris of indulging in corrupt practices, the farmers demanded proper price for their produce.
After listening to farmers' grievances, Vijayvergiya while describing the BJP government as a Government of farmers, said that whatever issues the farmers have raised, will be taken up with the Prime Minister, Chief Minister and the national party president and we will see to it that their problems are resolved.
later talking to the media persons, Vijayvergiya held bureaucracy responsible for the farmers' agitation in the state. The farmers' ire are not against the Chief Minister, nor aimed at against government policies, rather it is a collective anger against bureaucracy. He said despite the government coming out with farmers' friendly policies, benefits of the same do not reach the farmers because of the bureaucracy. Vijayvergiya also thanked farmers of Indore division for not taking part in the agitation and resorting to violence.
Meanwhile, the Congress has opposed to Kailash Vijayvergiya's move to reach out to the farmers. The party spokesperson Narendra Saluja described Vijayvergiya's move to reach out to the farmers as belated. Instead of meeting farmers in Indore, he should have gone to meet the family members of the kin of farmers who lost their lives in police firing, the Congress leader said.