State farmers are simmering with anger too: Hooda

The irony is that while paddy is being sold at rates lower than the MSP, there is no fall in price of rice. Same is the case with cotton, potatoes, tomatoes and other farm produce. BHUPINDER SINGH HOODA , former CM

CHANDIGARH: Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday hit out at the ruling BJP government and held that the Madhya Pradesh farmers’ stir was not an isolated case as Haryana’s farmers too were “simmering with anger”.

Hooda held that farmers of the state were feeling cheated as the BJP government had not fulfilled any promises made to them before coming to power about three years ago.

“The BJP had promised to implement the Swaminathan commission recommendations for farmers’ welfare but they failed to do so. Today, all farmers are selling their produce below the minimum support price (MSP) and the Khattar government is not lending any helping hand,” he said.

“The irony is that while paddy is being sold at rates lower than the MSP, there is no fall in the price of rice. Same is the case all other farm products,” he added. On the question of Madhya Pradesh farmers agitation, he said that the MP government’s action of stopping Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from visiting Mandsaur famers was anti democratic.

Replying to a question pertaining to BJP government’s claims, Hooda held that it believed only in putting out advertisements without making any action.

“The BJP government has not fulfilled even one of its 154 poll promises. It thinks giving bhaashan (lecture) is shaashan (governance),” he said.

To the question of CBI cases— industrial plots case, AJL plot case and Manesar land deals case— against him, Hooda said that he had repeatedly said that it was an act of political victimisation and that he had done no wrong.