Uttar Pradesh Power Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shrikant Sharma on Saturday blamed Congress for politicising the farmers’ issue in Madhya Pradesh. He said that Congress was not able to come to terms with the developmental works done for the farmers by the saffron party. The public knows who was genuinely supporting the issue, he said.
“For the past 70 years when Congress has been in power, the condition of the farmers remained worse. For the first time, a government has come into rule which is providing a protective shield to the farmers and is working towards their development. The Congress is not able to come to terms with it and is trying to destroy Madhya Pradesh. For this, they will have to pay,” Sharma told ANI.
The public cannot be fooled around anymore as they know who was genuinely standing with the farmers, he further states.
In the meantime, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that he will sit on an indefinite fast from Saturday till peace is restored. “I have decided to sit on an indefinite fast from tomorrow. It will continue till the time peace is restored in MP,” Chouhan said.
His fast at Dussehra Maidan in Bhopal will begin from 11 AM. He will also hold an open ‘durbar’ for farmers to meet him. “I request people to come up to me with their problems…We have always been open to discussion. So, I have decided from tomorrow I will be listening to grievances in-person,” Chouhan said.
The Madhya Pradesh government also promised to soon come out with a solution for farm loan waiver.
CM earlier ordered a judicial inquiry into the deaths of five farmers during the recent protest. He also declared a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the kin of those killed and Rs. 5 lakh for those injured.
Mandsaur has been witnessing a tense situation with farmers protesting over their demands for decent prices for their produce and a farm loan waiver. Last week, five farmers were killed and eight others were injured in police firing during a protest.
