BHUBANESWAR: The BJD and Congress targeted the BJP over the State-wide agitation launched by it on farmers’ issues and demanded that the party should first increase the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy by 50 per cent as it had promised in its 2019 election manifesto.
Stating that the agitation launched by the BJP is only meant to divert attention from farmers’ agitation in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said the party should address the problems of farmers and stop shedding crocodile tears.
Mohanty demanded that the State BJP should persuade the Centre to release Rs 6,620 crore subsidy money to Odisha and rescind the decision not to lift more than 10 lakh tonne paddy from the State. President of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Niranjan Patnaik said that it does not suit the party to launch an agitation in Odisha when the Centre had passed three black Acts against the farmers. He also criticised the Centre for enhancing paddy MSP only by Rs 72 per quintal.