PM to address farmer issues at Midnapore rally, says BJP

KOLKATA/MIDNAPORE:Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scheduled to attend a rally on July 16 at Midnapore town, will address the concerns of farmers, BJP said on Saturday.
The BJP government, which has recently increased the minimum support price for farmers, will showcase the growth farmers have witnessed in the past four years.

“There has been substantial increase in the MSP of paddy and jute recently. Farmers have been benefited to a large extent. It is part of the government’s agenda of doubling farmers’ income by 2022,” said BJP’s national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain. “While the critics of the government are now silent on that, farmers have come in support of the government.”

Earlier this week, the Cabinet approved a steep hike in the MSP of kharif cropsAs a result, paddy prices have increased by around 13%. Price of pulses have also increased in the range of 3.7% and 25% Earlier in April this year, MSP of raw jute increased by Rs 200 per quintal for the 2018-19 crop season. The MSP is a mechanism that allows the government to intervene directly in the market and control distress sale by farmers by guaranteeing a fixed price even if the prices are lower in the open market.

Sayantan Basu, general secretary of BJP in the state said: “We have chosen Midnapore because of its proximity to south Bengal districts. BJP has gained in this part of the state substantially and farmers have come forward to support us.”

BJP leader Biswapriya Roy Chowdhury said the College Collegiate ground in Midnapore town was chosen due to its strong connection with Khudiram Bose.

District BJP leaders also applied for permission to hold a rally at the ground. “It might not be sufficient to accommodate the huge crowd expected on the rally day. We will set up LED TVs at several locations so that people can listen to Modiji,” Roy Chowdhury said.