Kailash Vijayvargiya (File)BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Thursday slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for opposing farm Bills, which were passed in Parliament on Sunday, and alleged that TMC leaders will lose Rs 900 crore as commission from farmers.
Speaking to reporters during a news conference in Asansol, Vijayvargiya said, “In West Bengal, farmers do not sell their produce to kisan mandi (farmers’ wholesale market) directly. They sell their produce through middlemen who are affiliated to TMC. Now, with the passage of the farm Bills, TMC’s earning to the tune of Rs 900 crore will come to halt. That is why Mamata Banerjee and her party leaders are protesting against these Bills, as farmers will no longer pay the middlemen and there is no scope for any cut money (illegal commission) for her party members.”
Banerjee recently described the farm Bills as anti-farmer legislations that are aimed at benefitting the corporates and claimed they would create a food crisis. TMC MPs staged an overnight sit-in Parliament to mark their protest while party leaders carried out demonstrations across the state for the last three days.
Vijayvargiya said the Opposition was trying to mislead people on farm Bills just like they did on Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
“Farm Bills are revolutionary legislations, which were brought forward by the Narendra Modi government to suit the interest of the farmers. But the Opposition parties are spreading misinformation about the Bills to mislead people. Just like the way the Opposition misled the people of the country on CAA, they are misleading the farmers now,” the BJP leader said.
He also criticised the Mamata Banerjee government after it said that it would implement PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana only if the funds are were routed through the state government.
“The state government wants to ensure cut money and that’s why such a condition has been set. Banerjee is playing with the sentiment of farmers by denying their right to get direct monetary transfer to their bank accounts,” added Vijayvargiya.
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