Around 150 farmers from Bihar are indeed attending Gujarat Global Agriculture Summit, amidst bickering between former NDA partners BJP and JD(U) over extending official invitation to Nitish Kumar government for sending farmers to attend the event.
"Around 150 farmers from different parts of Bihar are participating in the two-day 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Agriculture Summit'," Hirnedrakumar Mishra, who hails from Saharsa in Bihar, told PTI.
Mishra added that farmers are attending the event on "personal" invitation from Gujarat Government.
"We all are members of Bharitya Kisan Sangh and one of our members was shortlisted for the award from Gujarat Government. We all were personally invited by Gujarat government," he said.
The conclave was inaugurated here today.
A war of words had erupted between Bihar BJP and JD (U) last month when Bihar agriculture minister Narendra Singh had denied having received any letter of invitation for farmers from Modi government. He had said that no farmer from the state would attend the event in Gandhinagar.
However, Bihar state BJP president Mangal Pandey distributed a letter from Gujarat government, dated July 25, inviting 76 farmers from Bihar to attend the summit.
BJP had accused Nitish Kumar Government of playing politics by not sending state's farmers to Gujarat and as an alternative farmers affiliated to Bhartiya Kisan Sangh were invited by Modi government.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Narendra Modi today awarded farmers from various states for their exemplary work in the field of agriculture and allied sectors like horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, water conservations etc.
Farmers were given cash prize of Rs 51,000 each along with a shawl, a memento and a certificate.
