Odisha's leading farmers' organisation Navnirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) and the opposition on Saturday rejected the state government's KALIA scheme, dubbing it as "old dress in a new package".
The NNKS reaction comes a day after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the Rs 10,000-crore Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme.
After launching the scheme on Friday, Patnaik had said that "an amount of Rs 10,000 per family at the rate of Rs 5,000 each for kharif and rabi seasons shall be provided as financial assistance for taking up cultivation."
"Naveen Patnaik's KALIA scheme is like old dress in new packing. Now, the state government's intentions are clear that it avoids basic issues such as price, pension and farm loan waiver," NNKS convenor Akshya Kumar told reporters here.
Stating that there has been an attempt to confuse the farming community, Kumar said even the agriculture minister himself cannot understand the contents of the KALIA scheme.
"The livelihood provision in KALIA scheme is already existing and running in support of NABARD and MGNREGS. It is not a new scheme. It is an attempt to divert farmers attention," Kumar said.
He said the farmers, since the last several years have been demanding proper price for their agriculture produce.
The state's KALIA scheme does not deal with that, Kumar said.
The opposition Congress and the BJP also denounced the KALIA scheme.
Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi accused Patnaik of shedding crocodile tears for farmers' woes and said the scheme was unveiled only to garner votes.
He also said the acronym is an attempt to connect it to Lord Jagannath, who is referred to as 'Kalia' by devotees.
"It is a shame... an insult to the Lord in BJD's attempt to grab votes and definitely not aimed at bringing succour to the distressed farmers in the state," he said.
Singhvi said all the noise being made by the CM about Minimum Support Price (MCP) for paddy and other farm products is simply for propaganda ahead of the elections.
He alleged that Patnaik was adopting double standards in his approach towards the BJP, and said it was a big insult the people of the state when Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to meet an all-party team from the state to discuss the issue of MSP.
However, the BJD rewarded the BJP as the party MPs staged a walk-out and abstained during a no-confidence vote against the Modi government in Parliament a few months ago, he said.
"All these show Patnaik is a believer in double speak and utter bypocrisy. He sheds crocodile tears for the farmers hiding his true colours for votes," he claimed.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik said the chief minister is "afraid of farmers' anger and therefore, trying to woo them".
BJP leader Prithiwiraj Harichandan termed the Odisha government programme an "election gimmick".
"There is no relief for farmers," he said.
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