leader of Opposition in the lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj on Sunday held the Congress-led Governments in Delhi and at the Centre responsible for the plight of farmers. She promised them better livelihood if the BJP came to power.
Addressing the Kisaan Mazdoor Aakrosh rally at Narela, Swaraj announced that the BJP will fix land acquisition rates in Delhi at four times the current market value. She issued a white paper on the socio-economic plight of farmers living in rural areas of the National Capital.
The BJP leader accused the Delhi Government of ignoring farmers. “The Congress Government in the Capital has become a profiteering Government rather than being a welfare Government. Far-off areas in the Capital, including Narela, still do not have Metro connectivity. The BJP will bring the Metro to Narela,” she promised.
Taking a dig at the Government, Swaraj said the issue of water supply had not been addressed over the years, posing a difficult situation for farmers. “A farmer not only needs water for drinking but also for the purpose of irrigation. I can empathise with the villagers as I have been born and brought up in villages,” she said, adding that the BJP would bring much-needed land reforms to improve the condition of farmers.
Addressing a sizeable gathering, Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel too blamed the Delhi Government for a majority of farmers’ problems. “India stands tall because of the farmers and labourers of the country. But unfortunately, they are the most neglected lot due to wrong policies of the Congress Government,” he said.
“Even after 14 years of Congress rule in Delhi, Sheila Dikshit does not know the location of Narela, Kanjhawla and Najafgarh and has ignored rural Delhi completely. She rules over the ‘New’ Delhi and not ‘old’ Delhi,” Goel quipped, pointing out that though the CM promised to turn Delhi into Paris, the city has only become a place for slum-dwellers.
Goel also promised to slash power tariff in Delhi by 30 per cent if the party gained
power in the upcoming Assembly polls.