Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar (right) greets BJP national president Amit Shah in Delhi Friday. (Express photo)
On a day when BJP national president Amit Shah held a meeting with BJP’s senior leaders from Haryana in Delhi Friday regarding 2019 Lok Sabha polls, party MP from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Dharambir Singh in Bhiwani released a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking one-and-a-half times increase in prices of crops to double the income of farmers.
Dharambir had written the letter on May 29. In it, Dharambir has explained how agriculture has become a “profession of loss” to the farmers. He claimed that he had taken feedback from nearly 10,000 workers from his constituency regarding the Prime Minister’s “Vision 2022 to make farmers income double”. Dharambir Singh had joined the BJP ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when he was a sitting MLA of Congress from Sohna constituency.
Dharambir Singh told The Indian Express, “Many ask why I have released the letter now. During the budget session, Pradhan Mantri ji and Jaitley ji (Finance Minister Arun Jaitley) had stated about fixing Minimum Support Price of crops and to give one and a half times of their cost during Kharif crops. We had these two-three months to seek opinion of 10,000 farmers. And I wrote their suggestion to the PM and the Agriculture Minister.”
Meanwhile, Amit Shah, in a meeting with party leaders, took stock of the preparations for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, BJP state unit president Subhash Barala and other leaders of the state unit including Cabinet ministers, were present in the meeting.
Speaking to media persons later, Barala said no discussion took place in the meeting regarding the party’s Lok Sabha candidates from the state. “During his visit to the state previously, Amit Shah had given targets to the party which were discussed in the meeting and the party chief was satisfied with (the performance). Feedback has been taken from the MPs and MLAs about their assignments given to them earlier,” said Barala.
According to the state BJP chief, the party has discussed the formation of party units from polling booths to the block level. “The party chief has also taken feedback on how social media (activity) can be strengthened at the booth level,” said Barala.
Media Adviser to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Rajiv Jain said the strategy to be adopted for the Lok Sabha polls and performance on different tasks assigned earlier was discussed in the meeting.
In the 90-member Assembly, the BJP has 47 legislators. The party has already asked its MLAs to visit one more constituency apart from their seat to boost the party’s prospects in next Lok Sabha as well Vidhan Sabha elections.