Congress working committee member and former CM Ajit Jogi, while expressing concern over the declining percentage of farmers in Chhattisgarh from 43.1 to 40 in the final publication of census details, said that the BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh Government has totally failed in implementing effective schemes and providing facilities to the farmers of the state, which is known as the ‘paddy bowl’, in its nine-year reign.
The Congress leader said that the Union Government had launched a scheme for digging wells for farmers, but the officers having patronage of the BJP, by forging the scheme, did not give its desired benefit to the farmers. “No arrangement has been made to give seeds to the farmers on time, resulting to the distraction of farmers from agriculture works during the economic slump. This would have far-reaching effect in the time to come,” he added.
Jogi alleged that the BJP patronised ‘Mafias’ have purchased the land of farmers for a song and made them landless, which could not be said a good indication for Chhattisgarh state.
The State Government which claims to be pro-development could not provide the benefits of the schemes made for the farmers, as a result, about three lakh farmers have distracted themselves from the agriculture work, as per the figures of the census, he added.
The former chief minister said that the Census directorate in its figures has shown the percentage of agriculture labourers to 53, which was the results of the schemes launched by the Union government and because of these schemes the state has been marching towards progress.
While expressing concern over the decrease in the percentage of Scheduled Caste population in Bastar region, Jogi said, “the State Government has failed to provide basic facilities to the citizens in Bastar region, and because of which exodus-like situation has been created in the State,”.
Terming the BJP Government anti-farmer and anti-people, Jogi said that the government wanted to take credit by holding banner and posters in the cities and showing incorrect figures in papers. It would be right to term it as ‘trickery’ with people and in the ensuing election it is decided to throw away this corrupt and worthless Government, he added.
In a separate statement, Jogi alleged that the BJP Raman Government was ruining the paddy purchased in the state by placing it under the open sky since last nine years. “The dampening and wastage of about 10 lakh quintal paddy purchased in Durg district under the open sky was an example that the government was destroying the foodgrain,” he added.
Similarly, he said, all over the state the paddy purchased in the societies has been kept in the open and now it was sprouting. Because of the unseasonal rain and strong wind last year paddy worth crores of rupees have ruined and Raman Singh should take responsibility of it, he added.
Jogi said that in the year 2012 paddy worth Rs 1100 crore has been ruined and the BJP was purchasing the paddy through its workers and making profits and was ruining the paddy purchased with the aid of Central government. The recovery of the loss should be made from the BJP Government and its workers, Jogi demanded.