While addressing the Meerut's Kissan Mahapanchayat on Sunday, 28 March, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took a jibe at BJP over farmers' issue, reported NDTV.
While responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent speech in Parliament, in which he had reassured that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system would stay, Kejriwal asked where in Uttar Pradesh MSP was paid.
In a Parliament address earlier this month, PM Modi had said, "MSP was there. MSP is there. MSP will remain in the future."
Kejriwal also said, "Their minister keeps saying that MSP was there and will remain. But you tell me if farmers get MSP in any of the mandis. They lie day and night. Yogi Adityanath lies," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
He also raised the issue of UP's sugarcane farmers and said that they had not been getting their dues up to two years with a cumulative backlog of Rs 18,000 crore.
"Yogi Adityanath, shame on your government if you are incapable of ensuring payments to sugarcane farmers," he said.
While citing his own government’s example in Delhi with regards to power supply and bills, he said the problems can only be fixed only if the government has the right intent and in that case funds would not be an issue.
"If you elect a government with the right intent, farmers would get their payment even before they reach home after depositing their produce in the mills," he added.
He also criticised the government for the three farm laws by calling them ‘death warrant’ for farmers.
“The government wants to take away their lands and give them to 3-4 capitalists. Farmers will become labourers in their own fields, that is why it's do or die situation for farmers,’’ he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Quoting the incident where government had planted iron nails on several border roads of Delhi during the farmers’ agitation, Kejriwal said that even Britishers did not oppress our farmers to this extent. “This government has left behind the Britishers,” he added.
He also said that the entire Red Fort incident was planned by the BJP. “Many people told me that they were deliberately shown wrong path as they didn't know streets of Delhi. Those who hoisted flag were their (BJP) workers”.
He said that our farmers can be anything but anti-nationals.
While addressing the issue of petrol hike, Delhi Chief Minister said that a government with the right intent could bring down petrol and diesel rates.
While concluding his address at the Mahapanchayat, he said that since this is a pure movement, the government will ultimately have to bow before the farmers.
(With inputs from NDTV & ANI)
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