Farmers most neglected in BJP regime: Akhilesh

LUCKNOW Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said ever since the BJP came to power in UP, farmers had become the most neglected lot.

The party had sought votes on farmers’ issues and made tall promises but now its priorities had changed, he said. He claimed many farmers were getting caught in a debt trap and committing suicide due to rising input costs and the misplaced policies of the government.

In a statement released here on Friday, Akhilesh Yadav said: “The BJP in its manifesto had said that it will waive loans up to Rs 1 lakh and farmers’ produce will be bought at one-and-half times more than the input cost. But when the party came to power, the farm loan waiver was no less than a betrayal. Imagine, the government increased cane support price only by Rs 10. The

FARMERS ARE SUICIDE DUE TO RISING INPUT COSTS AND THE MISPLACED POLICIES OF THE GOVERNMENT

sugar mills still have Rs 926 crore dues of farmers, while the BJP had said that within 120 days of coming to power, all dues will be paid to the farmers.”

“The scenario is grim for potato farmers. The government said it will purchase potato, but did not open potato procurement centres. Farmers were forced to buy seeds, fertilisers, pesticides insecticides at higher rates. It is estimated farmers will face a collective loss of Rs 35,968 crore as they are selling their produce at prices lower than the input cost.”

“The farmers are in distress due to the power and irrigation scenarios too,” he said.

Akhilesh recalled that his government was pro-farmer and had worked for the cultivators.