BHUBANESWAR:  Even as the Biju Janata Dal leaders, led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, are staging a dharna in front of Parliament in Delhi for hike in minimum support price of paddy, the State unit of BJP hit the streets over farmers’ issues on Tuesday. Despite the bandh call given by Central Trade Unions, Krushak Morcha activists from across the State congregated in the Capital to join the political parties who took out rallies for their cause. The farmers marched to the Secretariat over a host of demands including loan waiver, bonus of `100 per quintal of paddy and ensuring MSP to farmers.

The Krushak Morcha activists also attempted to gherao the Secretariat protesting State Government’s failure to resolve farmers’ problems. They took out a rally from State BJP headquarters to Secretariat via Housing Board but could not proceed beyond Keshari Talkies as police put up a barricades there. The BJP, which has been protesting alleged irregularities in paddy procurement by Government agencies, opened a Mandi (paddy procurement centre) on Sachivalaya Marg to highlight the plight of farmers during sale of paddy.

Claiming that farmers of the State are forced to go for distress sale of paddy due to shortage of mandis and nonpayment of MSP by government- appointed agencies, State BJP Krushak Morcha president Sivaji Mohanty said the offer price to farmers at all paddy procurement centres ranges from `1,000 to `1,200 per quintal against MSP of `1,750 per quintal.

“Farmers are not getting MSP for paddy due to price cut at mandis. As rice millers are dictating terms, farmers are asked to sell their stock at the price offered by miller agents,” Mohanty said. He further alleged that rice millers are not lifting paddy from mandis till they get a price cut for 4 to 5 kg per bag. The protest by farmers for such illegal price cut at the mandis remains unheard.

Reminding Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of his promise at a Sohela farmers’ rally in Bargarh district in 2015 of providing bonus of `100 per quintal of paddy over and above the MSP, Mohanty said the farmers will continue their protest till the Governm e n t f u l f i l s i t s commitment. Criticising the BJD for holding a protest in New Delhi, party vice president Samir Mohanty said ruling party members led by the Chief Minister are on a picnic in the National Capital while farmers are crying for more paddy procurement centres.

Cong joins the race Bhubaneswar: Tuesday turned out to be the day of farmers as Congress also joined the race along with ruling BJD and BJP to woo them by submitting a memorandum to the Governor here demanding a hike in the MSP of paddy, farm loan waiver, opening of mandis for procurement and pension for cultivators. Criticising the BJD Government for not correcting the ground situation where farmers are selling paddy `500 to `600 less than the MSP as mandis are not being opened at the right time because of largescale irregularities at the local level, the farmers’ cell of OPCC threatened to launch a Statewide agitation if the demands were not met.

The Parliament gherao by BJD by ignoring the real picture here is meant for the upcoming polls, said chairman of Odisha Pradesh Kissan Congress (OPKC) Amiya Patnaik and asked Odisha Government to follow the Congress government in Chhattisgarh where the MSP on paddy has been fixed at `2,500 per quintal. Members of OPKC took out a padayatra from Congress Bhavan to Raj Bhavan here before submitting memorandum to the Governor. Meanwhile, OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik alleged that announcement of schemes by BJD is confined to files only as more than 3 lakh farmers and workers migrate to neighbouring states in search of work. Referring to KALIA scheme before elections, Niranjan asked who will be the actual beneficiaries.