Odisha Farmers Regularly Cheated by BJP: BJD

Bhubaneswar: The farmers of Odisha have been regularly cheated by the BJP over a period of time, alleged ruling Biju Janata Dal on Tuesday.

Coming down heavily on senior BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJD Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Sasmit Patra said that in 2014 election manifesto, the BJP promised that they would increase the MSP by 1.5 times but they did not do that.

The BJP said that it would double the income of the farmers, but it did not do anything like that, he stated in a press briefing.

The BJP brought three anti-farmer farm laws in the Parliament which they had to withdraw after massive farmer’s protest and after more than 600 farmers had lost their lives in this protest, Patra said.

Along with BJD MLAs and other MLAs, the BJP MLAs supported the demand of fixing MSP of paddy at Rs.2930 per quintal in the Odisha Vidhan Sabha resolution but are now silent, the BJD MP alleged.

Providing fertilizers on time and in right quantity is the responsibility of the BJP led Centre but they won’t give fertilizers to the farmers of Odisha. Lifting of surplus rice is the responsibility of the Centre but they won’t lift the surplus rice and thereby affecting the farmers of Odisha, he added.

When BJD Government wanted to give Rs. 200 crores of input subsidy to farmers of Odisha, the BJP leaders called up the Election Commission quietly to stop this under the ruse of Model Code of Conduct and ongoing by-poll. Due to this, the input subsidy couldn’t be released. But it will be released the very next day after the ending of this election and lifting of Model Code of Conduct, he added.

The BJP-led Central Government cheated the Kendu leaf workers who are men and women mostly from the BPL families. When the GST was at 5% on Kendu Leaf they had a decent living. But the Centre increased it to 18% and attacked their source of earning. Isn’t this cheating?, the BJD MP asked.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to Centre demanding withdrawal of this additional increase in GST but the Centre did not pay any heed. These common people cried out with pain but no one from Centre has bothered to listen to them, he added.