Prime Minister Narendra Modi today came down hard on the Siddaramaiah government in poll-bound Karnataka for being "indifferent" to farm distress and not implementing the crop insurance scheme effectively and stressed that welfare of farmers was his government's top priority.
With his own government under attack over agrarian distress in several states, including Karnataka, Modi sought to assuage the concerns of the farming community.
"As part of our holistic approach to agriculture, from purchase of seeds to reaching the farm produce to markets (beej se bazaar tak) we are working towards making farmers strong," he told BJP Kisan Morcha workers in an interaction with them through the 'Narendra Modi' app.
He assailed Karnataka's Congress government over its alleged indifference towards implementing the crop insurance scheme to insulate them against crop loss.
"I keep getting complaints regarding Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana from Karnataka, but one of our MPs has done a great work in his constituency with the help of Kisan morcha workers. He, however, did not name the MP.
"The Karnataka government is indifferent...it does not care about the benefits that a farmer can get from the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana," he said.
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Karnataka has seen three seasons of drought over the last five years resulting in huge crop loss.
Modi said had the state government been proactive, it could have tackled the drought and helped farmers to tide over the loss.
The prime minister had yesterday launched his campaign blitz in the state where he addressed three back to back rallies. He will be in Karnataka again tomorrow.
He asked the Kisan Morcha volunteers to reach out to farmers and convince them that the BJP, if voted to power, will be sensitive to their problems.
"You have to give them the confidence that there should now be a government that is sensitive about them, that understands their problems. The welfare of farmers is our primary responsibility."
Noting that even the media described his government's budgets as pro-farmer and pro-agriculture, the prime minister said, "Their welfare has always been our legacy, our nature. It has been our way of thinking."