Centre, MP govt policies have hit farmers: Scindia

BHOPAL: Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday targeted the Bjp-led central and Madhya Pradesh governments over their “policies, decisions and lies that have ruined the life of farmers” in the state and elsewhere. Addressing a gathering of farmers at his ‘jan akrosh rally’ in Ashok Nagar district’s Piparai in Mungaoli state assembly, the former Union minister said both demonetisation and the goods and services tax (GST) made the lives of farmers “miserable”.

Bypolls are expected to be held in Mungaoli and Kolaras constituencies this month or early January. “Notebandi’ (note ban) caused a disaster. It was to help those who converted their black money into white. More than 125 people died across the country. And here in Madhya Pradesh farmers faced bullets from the police,” the MP from Guna constituency said. He also targeted chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for rolling out a scheme, ‘Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana’, that “hardly benefitted the farmers”.

Scindia accused the CM of making false promises to the farmers and seeking to send out a message that he (Scindia) had done nothing for the development of the constituency.

He said it was his initiatives that brought a central school, several trains, model school, roads, electrification under the Rajiv Gandhi Electrification Scheme and several other development works to the region.

Scindia called upon the people to “give a befitting reply with ‘votebandi’ to the BJP” for its notebandi, GST and other “antipeople policies and decisions and false promises” of the BJP.

Attacking the state government on law and order situation in Madhya Pradesh, Scindia said incidents of crime against women were on the rise. He alleged that the CM never took care of Mungaoli in his 12-year rule but now his ministers are visiting the constituency ahead of the upcoming bypoll.