As Akhilesh belittles ‘Krishi Kumbh’, minister reminds him of Saifai extravaganza

LUCKNOW: An Uttar Pradesh minister on Sunday reminded Akhilesh Yadav of the annual Saifai Mahotsava when the Samajwadi Party chief took to Twitter to belittle a farmers' event here inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Those who had spent crores of rupees during their regime on song and dance shows at Saifai Mahotsava, are talking today about the interests of farmers, state Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said.

The 'Saifai Mahotsava' used to be held annually at SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's village Saifai in the Etawah district.

The agriculture minister tweeted further, "I would like to point out that the BJP government last year purchased 37 lakh MT wheat and this year the figure is 53 lakh MT. Statistics will show who is the real well-wisher of farmers."

The former chief minister had tweeted recently, "On one hand, the state government is sacrificing the interests of the farmers, while on the other hand it is organising 'dhong' (fake) Krishi Kumbh."

"What type of Kumbh is it where instead of 'amrit', the farmers are getting 'vish' (poison), and they are compelled to end their lives. Instead of such theatrics, the BJP should give the price and pass on the profit to the farmers commensurate to their their hardwork," Yadav had said.

Prime Minister Modi had inaugurated the three-day 'Krishi Kumbh' Friday through video conferencing. It ended Sunday.

Held at Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow by the state government in association with the Centre, the agri-expo was aimed at showcasing the state's agriculture potential and provide farmers a platform to interact with experts in the field.

Talking to PTI Sunday about the mega event, the minister said, the 'Krishi Kumbh' was the first of its kind, organised in the state.