Opposition members staged a walkout from the Assembly

Alleging that the Yogi government was ‘anti-farmer’, Opposition members staged a walkout from the Assembly alleging that farmers were not getting good remuneration of their produce because of anti-farmer policies of the government.

The Opposition walked out of the House after Agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi churned out figures to claim that farmers were getting good price of their produce in Yogi Raj.  Opposition members created a ruckus when he started reading details of the proposed hike that his government has proposed to the Centre.

The Opposition members claimed that farmers were committing suicide and the government’s claim of doubling farmers’ income by 2022 was nothing but another ‘jumla’.

However, Agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi denied all charges and claimed that the government has made plans to hike the income of 2.35 crore farmers in the state.

Congress members were the first to stage a walkout followed by Samajwadi Party and then by Bahujan Samaj Party members.

Replying to a question in the Assembly on Friday, Shahi  said the government has hiked the MSP of paddy by Rs 100 per quintal and paid Rs 6663 crore to farmers for their produce by purchasing 43 lakh ton of paddy.

“We will also purchase wheat at a price of Rs 1735 per quintal along with Rs 10 as transportation cost for per quintal. The government aims to purchase around 50 lakh ton of wheat through 550 purchase centers,” he said.

Other ministers too came to the aid of Shahi and Health minister Sidharthnath Singh countered the opposition charges of farmers’ suicides saying that there was a 10 per cent dip in cases of farmers’ suicides during the BJP regime at the Centre.

Parliamentary Affairs minister Suresh Kumar Khanna too said the government was committed to increasing the income of the farmers.