BHUBANESWAR: Claiming that the Bharat Bandh called by the farmers’ organisations on Tuesday was a big success, president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Niranjan Patnaik said that the Centre should repeal the three contentious farm bills in view of the huge support of the people to the demand.
Targeting the BJD and BJP for their anti-farmer policies, Patnaik demanded that the Centre should immediately accept the demand of the farmers. “Let’s keep aside questions over the BJD not supporting the bandh,” Patnaik said and added that the regional party had supported the passage of the Farm Bills in the Lok Sabha. He, however, said that many political parties who had extended support to the Farm Bills are now supporting the cause of the farmers.
“What has BJD done for the farmers in the last 21 years? Whatever development the country has seen in the last 72 years, it is because of the Congress. BJD is just fooling the farmers with false promises and assurances,” he said. Patnaik said that the Congress is with the farmers and will continue to fight for their rights. In the coming days, the Congress will take the fight to all corners of the State, he said.
On the other hand, a rare show of unity was witnessed among the Congress leaders during the bandh. Besides the OPCC president, working president Pradeep Majhi, former OPCC president Jaydev Jena and Jatni MLA Suresh Kumar Routray participated in the bandh at different places. The BJD said that the party has all along worked for the welfare and empowerment of farmers. “We are with the farmers,” senior BJD leader Padmanabha Behera said.