Congress president Rahul Gandhi expressed concern over arrears of cane growers and wrote to farmer leader BM Singh, extending full support of his party to the farmers’ agitation in this regard.
Giving details of the letter, UP Congress Committee (UPCC) spokesman Virendra Madan said that the Congress president alleged that the Centre was facilitating sugar mill owners at the cost of cane farmers. He buttressed his claim by saying that only in UP, about Rs 12 to 13,000 crores are pending towards payment of cane growers.
“Sanctioning a paltry Rs 7000 crore for clearing farmers’ dues by the Centre was too little as it could not even clear arrears of half the farmers in Uttar Pradesh,” Rahul Gandhi mentioned in his letter.
TheCongress chief further wrote, “I strongly condemn the behaviour of National Democratic Alliance government towards farmers as they were doing nothing to extend relief to cane growers who were facing difficulties for the last many years.”
Madan further said that Rahul Gandhi supported the on-going stir by BM Singh led Rastriya Kisan Muzdur Sankathan (RKMS) to get the farmers’ woes, includingh payment of cane arrears, redressed. The Congress chief assured that the his party would extend all support to help the farmers get their dues.
The Congress spokesman claimed that Rahul has also written to Sunil, leading an agitation in Ghazipur district, to save agriculture land which was acquired for construction of four-lane Varanasi-Gorakhpur highway and ensure adequate compensation against damage to their crops.
The agitation has been undertaken by Sunil to press the government to adopt transparency in acquiring land and make payments as per the new land Acquisition Act.
“The manner in which the administration assaulted agitating women and labourers, protesting destruction of their crops and forcible acquisition of land, was a clear indicator that the the BJP government in UP was out to muzzle the voice of the common man.” Rahul mentioned in his letter.