KOLKATA: A day after the Centre ruled out repealing three farm rules that have triggered large-scale protests in which 54 peasants died, BJP’s national president JP Nadda on Saturday kicked off the party’s West Bengal centric outreach drive titled Krishak Suraksha Yojona (farmers’ protection scheme) saying the new farm acts will not only strengthen the cultivators but also offer them the liberty to sell their product.
In an attempt to bloom lotus in Bengal’s rice bowl East Burdwan district, Nadda, spent the day in the region and collected fistful of rice from five farmers—part of the outreach drive under the banner of Ek Muthhi Chawl—to woo the peasants’ support in the upcoming Assembly elections.
“Some political parties are misleading a section of farmers. The new farm rules will not only strengthen the cultivators but also give them liberty to settle profitable deals with contract buyers. We will make arrangements to get the acts implemented,’’ said Nadda while addressing a rally.
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He also claimed that during the regime of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the MSP of agricultural products increased by 50 per cent. Selecting East Burdwan to kick off the outreach drive was said to be politically significant because the district is known as Bengal’s rice bowl. The district produces 28 lakh metric ton of rice out of the state’s total production of 150 lakh metric ton.
“The move is aimed to countering the narrative spun by the BJP’s rivals that the new here farm rules will be harmful to the farmers. The plan to launch was focused at endearing the party to over 72-lakh farmers in the state at a time opposition parties are hitting out the saffron camp over the ongoing protest in the national capital region,’’ said a senior BJP leader.
Nadda announced that BJP workers will meet farmers in 40,000 booth areas across Bengal collected fistful of rice from them to deliver a message that the saffron camp-led central government is determined to uplift the farmers.