BJD leaders are on picnic to Delhi: Opposition

January 8, 2019 Politics

Bhubaneswar: The opposition Congress and BJP on Tuesday criticised the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders saying that they are on a picnic to New Delhi.

The BJD held a “Krushak Adhikar Samavesh” at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. Congress and BJP separately staged agitations in Odisha on Tuesday for the rights of the farmers.

“Naveen Patnaik and Co are going on a picnic today to Delhi which costs Rs 52 lakh. They are doing this in the name of farmers. Had this money been given to farmers in debt, many precious lives of peasants could have been saved,” tweeted state Congress president Niranjan Patnaik.

The farmers’ wing of the party on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal addressed to the President highlighting the plight of farmers.

Odisha Congress farmers’ cell chairman Amiya Kumar Patnaik said, “The Congress demands included waiver of farm loan, bonus of Rs 750 per quintal of paddy and opening of adequate mandis for paddy procurement. Besides, we demand increase of paddy MSP to Rs 2930 per quintal.”

On the other hand, BJP activists gheraoed the State Secretariat over farmers’ problem in the state.

They also burnt effigy of Naveen Patnaik accusing the state government of not opening adequate ‘Mandis’ for paddy procurement.

“There is no sufficient Mandis in districts for paddy procurement. The farmers are committing suicide due to anti-farmer policies of the state government. Even though the Chief Minister had announced to give bonus to the farmers, they are yet to receive the same,” senior BJP leader Pratap Sarangi said.

State BJP vice president Samir Mohanty said the state government, without opening the mandis for the farmers, is on a picnic to Delhi.

The Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS), a leading farmers’ body in the state, also staged a demonstration near the Raj Bhavan here highlighting plights of farmers.

They criticised the Chief Minister for taking up the matter at the national capital instead of solving the problems of the farmers.