NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking why Gujarat's white onion farmers were given preferential treatment over Maharashtra's onion farmers, and why has the BJP "diluted" Adivasis' forest rights in Maharashtra.
Ahead of Prime Minister Modi's rallies in Dhule and Nashik, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posed questions to him on X.
Since December last year, onion farmers in Maharashtra have been reeling from the restriction imposed by the Modi government on onion exports. During the cultivation season, the farmers were only able to produce 50 per cent of their usual crop due to the unprecedented weather and water crisis, he pointed out, he said.
"When the onions were finally harvested, farmers faced an arbitrary export ban that resulted in disastrously low sale prices, causing them to incur significant losses. To make matters worse, the Union Government then allowed the export of white onions, which are primarily grown in Gujarat, while farmers in Maharashtra, who primarily grow red onions, were left out for months. Even now, despite the lifting of the export ban, a 20 percent duty on exports remains in place," he added.
"Can the non-biological PM explain why he played favourites? Why did he so callously neglect Maharashtra's onion farmers while privileging the concerns of Gujarat's onion farmers?" Ramesh said in his post on X.
'BJP diluted Adivasis forests rights in Maharashtra'
In 2006, Congress had passed the Forest Rights Act (FRA) which granted Adivasi and forest-dwelling communities legal rights to manage their own forests, Ramesh said.
He alleged that the BJP government obstructed the implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), thereby depriving millions of Adivasis of its benefits. He pointed out that only 52 percent of the 401,046 individual claims filed have been approved, and land titles issued cover just 23.5 percent (11,769 sq. km) of the 50,045 sq. km eligible for community rights.
"Why has the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra failed to provide Adivasi communities their rights?" Ramesh said.
The Congress general secretary also asked why did the Mahayuti not hold polls to the Nashik Municipal Corporation.
"The Mahayuti government's failure to hold elections to the state's municipal corporations, including the Nashik Municipal Corporation, is a blatant attack on democracy and the rights of Nashik's citizens," he said.
The government claims that the delays are due to issues like OBC reservations and ward delimitation. But the reality is that the Mahayuti was afraid of facing the electorate, fearing that a loss would undermine its image before the elections this year, Ramesh claimed.
Without elected representatives, Nashik's citizens have struggled to get their voices heard and grievances addressed. Why has the BJP betrayed the people of Nashik, Ramesh asked.
