Continuing its attack on the Akhilesh Yadav Government, the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party said that western UP was simmering because of the cane price impasse and demanded that the Assembly session be convened immediately to discuss the problems of the sugar industry.
“The state Government should convene a special session of the state legislature to discuss these issues. A BJP delegation will meet Governor Bl Joshi regarding this,” BJP legislature Party leader Hukum Singh said at a press conference held here on Thursday. He said the issues should be discussed on the floor of the House as the suggestions coming from the Opposition members would help the Government in solving this issue.
Singh said farmers were facing problems because of the stand taken by private sugar mill owners against starting crushing operation. “The Government says it will lodge FIRs against the mill owners. Will it solve the problems of farmersIJ No! The farmers want sugar mills to start crushing at the earliest. The Government should have started talks with the private sugar mill owners much earlier. Had it done so, the problem would have been solved by now,” Singh said.
“The BJP is ready to launch an agitation for the farmers and will go to any level for getting their problems solved,” he said and demanded that the cane price be fixed at Rs 300 per quintal instead of Rs 280 per quintal. The BJP leader said that six districts of western UP were simmering. “At least 16 farmers have been killed in the past one-and-half month but no arrest has yet been made. The Government has adopted the divide and rule policy and is creating a chasm among people and khaps,” he said. In reply to a question, Singh said the Government should seek clarification and suspend the officials on whose report NSA (National Security Act) was invoked against two BJP MlAs on flimsy grounds in connection with the Muzaffarnagar riots.