Lambasting the Bihar government for its tardy pace of paddy procurement, BJP today staged a day- long dharna in support of farmers and demanded resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Amid slogans of 'Nitish Kumar istifa do' (Nitish Kumar should resign) by BJP legislators and workers, senior party leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi pointed out the plight of farmers and warned Kumar that his party will oppose him tooth and nail.
"We are warning Nitish Kumar. If he does not arrange for paddy purchase, the BJP will take the fight to the streets. We will also oppose him in the legislature as well. This is just the beginning of the fight and we are not going to stop now," Modi said.
Modi, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council, said the farmers in the state produced a record 1.25 crore metric tonnes of paddy. The government fixed a target to procure 30 lakh metric tonnes of it, but has been able to buy only 14.27 lakh tonnes till yesterday.
He said the state government has only provided Rs 500 crore for purchasing paddy from farmers and the deadline is March 31 and asked how the procurement would be done.
"Kumar sat on fast against the land acquisition bill just to confuse the farmers of the state, who are getting ruined due to his government. There are scams going on in State Food Corporation (SFC), bonus distribution and purchase of agriculture equipment," Modi alleged.
Addressing thousands of BJP workers and leaders sitting under saffron and green tent during the dharna, which was organised by the farmers' cell of the party, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly Nand Kishore Yadav said the cultivators in the state have suffered huge losses after government failed to buy their paddy.
