BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Friday staged a dharna in front of the office of Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation here demanding purchase of unsold paddy from registered farmers under minimum support price and renewal of lapsed tokens.
The BJP Krushak Morcha which led the agitation urged the corporation, the designated agency for paddy procurement, to procure paddy directly from the farmers without any interference by rice millers. “The farmers are facing multiple problems at the paddy purchase centres due to gross irregularities by mandi officials in cahoots with rice millers.
We have been raising the issue of mismanagement at the mandis since long but the government is siding with the millers. We were left with no choice but to sit on dharna,” said State BJP General Secretary and former MLA Rabi Nayak.
President of party’s State Kishan Morcha, Pradip Purohit said delay in procurement has led to damage of paddy due to monsoon rains. If the corporation does not purchase their paddy, the poor farmers will suffer immensely, he said.
The agitating BJP leaders called off the dharna after getting assurance from the managing director of the Corporation that left out paddy will be procured from the farmers by June 30, the last date for rabi procurement. Four western Odisha MLAs- Nauri Naik, Subash Panigrahi, Mukesh Mahaling and Kusum Tete and functionaries of Krushak Morcha participated in the dharna.