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Modi govt insensitive to farmers' problems: Cong

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Press Trust of India Kolkata
Accusing the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre of failing to live up to its poll promises, the Congress today alleged it was "highly insensitive" in dealing with the problems of the farmers.

"The one year of the Modi government has been a year of broken promises and a period of U-turn. Congress' job will be to expose its insensitivity," AICC spokesman Gaurab Gogoi said here.

"The most important promise made by Modi, other than bringing back black money, was to ensure remunerative prices for farmers by adding 50 per cent profit into the peasants' input cost. But, after coming to power, his promise has been buried at the bottom of the false promises dustbin," he said.
 

Stating that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was going to the houses of farmers to know their sufferings, Gaurab said "Farmers can communicate with the Prime Minister only though Twitter because Modi has kept himself away from issues concerning the masses."

Quoting the 2015 Economic Survey, he alleged the agricultural growth of the nation has gone down from 4.7 per cent in 2013-14 to 1.1 per cent in 2014-15 under the Modi government.

"The BJP-led NDA government has not supported the farmers in their crisis. On the contrary, it has left them isolated. It has been highly insensitive in the last one year, while the Prime Minister is busy taking selfies abroad," the AICC spokesman said.

"Prices of all agricultural crops are witnessing a free fall, but the government is unwilling to fix a fair Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. Non-availability and weather calamities have destroyed over 200 lakh hectares of crops forcing farmers to commit suicide," he said.

Speaking on the Prime Minister's call for building a "Team India" to take the country forward, Gaurab said, "Modi is known for his oratory and his management slogans, but there is nothing on the ground. Only a huge centralisation of power has taken place.

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First Published: May 22 2015 | 5:22 PM IST

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