The Janata Dal United (JDU) on Thursday organised a press conference on the ongoing farmer tension in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh. Farmer issues were discussed at length in the conference.
The party leaders said that they condemn the ill-treatment meted out to the farmers in Mandsaur. They said that they fully agree that the farmers’ demand of waiving off their loans and offering fair prices for their produce should indeed be fulfilled.
Slamming BJP for the promises they made for farmer welfare during the election campaign in 2014, the party questioned PM Modi over their actions and work about farmer’s well-being.
JDU leaders also questioned why aren’t farmers getting the basic price for their produce? They further said that the Centre is more concerned about the working class and business class, and not that bothered about farmers.
They also Minister for Farmers Welfare is insensitive towards farmer’s problems, which need to be dealt carefully and seriously.
They labelled the Centre’s move as ‘disappointing’ when it comes to solving farmer-related issues. The leaders also said that PM Modi had earlier promised a 50% increment in the prices of the crops, and now the ministers are trying to settle at just 5% increment.
They stated the records of National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) and pointed that there has been an increase in farmer suicides by 42%, with Maharashtra topping the list, where 4291 farmers committed suicide in 2015.
According to National Sample Survey, the monthly income of farmers was Rs 6426 in 2012, which drastically reduced to Rs 1700 in 2016. They questioned how can one expect the income will double in the next five years, given the current figures.
