NEW DELHI: Amid walkout by the Opposition, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday reiterated the government’s commitment to address the farmers’ issues through dialogue.
Dubbing the Congress “anti-farmers” who neglected the farmers’ welfare during its rule, the minister alleged that several peasants were killed when the grand old party was in power. “ In 1986, when the Congress was ruling in Bihar, 23 farmers were killed in firing and on the death anniversary of Indira Gandhi in 1988 in Delhi, two farmers lost their lives”, he alleged triggering a walkout by the Opposition.
“They don’t have the patience to hear the truth hence are walking away from the House”, Chouhan said, adding further that five farmers were killed in 1988 in Meerut also when the Congress was in power. He continued defending the Modi government’s agriculture policies amid Opposition walkout.
Highlighting the Modi government’s works for farmers’ welfare, he described the Congress as “all talk no walk”. The Congress only talked about direct assistance to the ryots but never came out with a scheme like ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi’ - the Modi government has made under the NDA rule for farmers.
Seeking the state governments’ cooperation, he said that the farmers’ welfare tops the priority list of the present government and all the state governments should support and cooperate.
“There is no denying that there are problems in agriculture but those can be sorted. We will speak to farmers and their associations and find solutions”, he asserted, while replying to a discussion on the working of the agriculture ministry and farmers’ welfare.
Chouhan was called by the RS chairman to complete his reply in RS after the question hour ended and the minister tore into Congress on its allegations against the Centre on the farmers’ issues.