Claiming that the NDA Government at the Centre and the BJP Government in Uttar Pradesh are working for the welfare of farmers, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath blamed some political leaders for instigating farmers for their vested interest and creating unruly scenes on the Delhi-UP border.
“The welfare of farmers is our priority and we are doing the needful to increase their income. But the way things happened during the farmers’ march on UP-Delhi border is unfortunate. The whole stir smacks of political design because the Centre has accepted almost all demands of farmers,” Yogi said.
Yogi’s reaction came after members of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) attempted to enter Delhi for their agitation, tried to plough through barricades and clashed with the police on UP-Delhi border in Ghaziabad on Tuesday.
Addressing media persons in Lucknow on Tuesday, the CM took a jibe at some leaders saying those who could not distinguish between sugarcane and wild grass and knew nothing about potato were shedding crocodile tears on the plight of farmers. “They instigated these farmers to gain political mileage out of the agitation,” he said. “Everyone has the right to go to Delhi but they should not have taken law in their hands. When the Union government has accepted almost all demands and the state government is also sympathetic towards them, then why create such a ruckus?” Yogi asked.
To justify his point, Yogi said that an NGT ruling directed that 10-year-old tractors be barred from moving in NCR region, but the UP government assured farmers that it would file a review and control menace of stray animals. “Besides, the state government has given Rs 1.20 crore to each district to set up cow shelter,” he said.
About the BJP government in UP, the CM said that in a short period, several welfare steps had been initiated. “We waived loans of 86 lakh farmers at one go while record purchases were made of wheat and paddy by government agencies,” he said.
Speaking about the woes of cane farmers, Yogi said that his government had cleared Rs 26,000 crore of cane dues and the rest of the arrears of Rs 9000 crore would be paid by November 30 next. The CM said that the government had also provided good price for potato and pulses while Mandi Parishad was trying to provide a platform to farmers to market their produce.