Lucknow: Stating that agrarian crisis is a national crisis and needed a national solution, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said Sunday no election sop or individual state could implement change at this scale.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s remarks come hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme. “The farm crisis is a national crisis and needs a national solution, no poll-sop or individual state can implement change at this scale — we stand with farmers everywhere and promise to bring about a #GoldenRevolution for all farmers regardless of caste, creed or religion,” Yadav tweeted.
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In a series of tweets, Yadav said: “Today a farmer committed suicide in Jhansi its time for a 100 per cent loan waiver to break farmers out of the prison of debt they are stuck in and transform their lives. It’s time for a #GoldenRevolution.” “We need to remove the influence of brokers and middlemen to ensure value addition infrastructure is built and farmers and their families are the primary beneficiaries,” the SP chief said. The market has a role to play in ensuring that the minimum support price (MSP) is defined by demand and farmers get paid a fair price for the food, Yadav said.
Suggesting a possible remedy, he said: “I have been listening to farmers as well as experts and know that the state needs to step in and fix farm financing from loans only available to large farmers to a micro-finance, low/zero interest model controlled by farmers.” Yadav also highlighted the need to improve the life of women farmers. “Women drive small farms — she’s the one who tills the field while her husband takes up meagre jobs in far away cities. She’s the reason we eat well. It’s time to change her life.”