BJP leaders criticised the Centre today for not releasing crop insurance funds meant for farmers from the Saurashtra region of Gujarat and said that agitations would follow if it is not released within ten days.
"It is unfortunate that we (farmers) have to hold such conventions for getting our crop insurance amounts," Gujarat BJP state unit president R C Faldu said, while addressing a large gathering of farmers at Shastri Maidan.
"It's our right to get crop insurance amounts against which we have paid premium. Farmers will take the battle to every village of the region if funds are not released by the Centre," Faldu said.
He alleged that some "concrete" policy is required for farmers' welfare but the union government frames anti-farmer policies. Gujarat minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama alleged that the Congress remained in power both at the Centre and Gujarat for a long time, but did nothing for farmers.
"The Congress remained in power in Gujarat and at the Centre for longtime. It politicised farmers' issues to merely to retain power," Chudasama said and assured farmers that the Gujarat government would extend all possible support.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP, Parshottam Rupala said that the Congress government at the Centre introduced several schemes like RTI (Right to Information) and RTF (Right to Food), but no "concrete" steps have been taken to implement these schemes.
He said that, in 1985, the Congress had refused to pay crop insurance, but after a long legal battle, funds had to be released in 2001.
BJP MP from Porbandar, Vitthal Radadiya, who organised the meet, said that since farmers of the region face severe financial crisis due to last year's drought and had no money even to buy fertilisers, the Centre should release funds immediately.
"Since the Centre had declared Saurashtra as a 'drought-hit' region, it should take appropriate steps to release funds. If it fails to release funds within ten days, farmers will launch aggressive agitations," Radadiya said.
The farmers also submitted a memorandum to Gujarat agriculture minister Babubhai Bokhiria.
