BJP launches farmers outreach campaign in Bengal ahead of polls;Nadda highlights Modi's pro-farmers face

Amid ongoing protests over the newfarm laws, BJP president J P Nadda on Saturday launched a newcampaign to woo the farmers of West Bengal and said the BJPgovernment at the centre has increased the agricultural budgetsix-fold and the Minimum Support Price by 1.5 times.

Nadda, who launched the 'Krishak Suraksha Abhiyan' and ''EkMutti Chawal'' (a fistful of rice) to woo farmers in the poll-bound state, said the Modi government has worked more for thefarmers community than the previous governments at the centre.

He also mocked at West Bengal Chief Minister MamataBanerjee for agreeing to implement the PM Kisan Yojna onlyafter realising that her party is fast losing ground among thefarmers in the state.

Nadda, said it is ''too late'' for the TMC government toagree to implement the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.

''Since coming to power, the Modi govt has increased budgeton agriculture by six times. In 2013-14, the budget onagriculture was only Rs 22,000 crore. Today, it stands at Rs1,34,000 crore,'' Nadda said here.

Nadda said its Prime Minister Narendra Modi who implementedthe Swaminathan Committee report on Minimum Support Price(MSP) for crops.

''MSP according to Swaminathan Committee has beenimplemented only by PM Modi, increasing it nearly by 1.5times,'' he said.

Later in the afternoon Nadda launched ''Ek Muthi Chawal'' (afistful of rice), a programme under which he would collectrice from farmers' homes and brief them about the benefits ofthe new agri legislations, as part of efforts to blunt theopposition ''anti-farmer'' allegations against the BJP-ledcentral government following farmers protests in Delhi.

Purba Burdwan is a major rice producing district and itis called the ''rice bowl of West Bengal.'' The district, around 100 km from Kolkata also holdsspecial significance in the state politics as it comprises of15 assembly constituencies. Out of this majority are with theTMC at present and the saffron party wish to win them to formits government in the state.

Sunil Kumar Mondal, Lok Sabha member from Burdwan Purbaconstituency recently switched over to the BJP from the TMC.

Nadda's address at 'Krishok Surokkha Gram Sabha' inJagadanandpur marked the beginning of 40,000 such meetings tobe held by the BJP across West Bengal before the assemblyelections just months away from now.

There are 71.23 lakh farmers' families in West Bengal, 96per cent of them small and marginal.

Ridiculing Banerjee for agreeing to implement PM KisanYojna only after realising that her party is fast losingground among the farmers in the state, Nadda said once votedto power the BJP would deliver justice to the farmers of thestate.

He said the state government was compelled to go for thebeneficiary scheme only after coming to know that ''anger ofthe farmers over being deprived of the central schemes willwipe out the TMC government in the state''.

''The Mamata Banerjee government agreed to implement thePM Kisan Samman Nidhi after such a long time as she realisedthat the TMC is fast losing ground in Bengal.

''But, let me say it clearly that it is already too late forthe TMC government,'' Nadda said while launching the campaign.

Claiming that nearly 70,000 families could not avail thebenefits of PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi in Bengal, Nadda said''Mamata Ji is now writing letters to the PM allowing itsimplementation, as the elections are approaching''.

''We will form the government in Bengal and will help ourfarmers in Bengal avail the benefits. We would also implementAyushman Bharat scheme in the state,'' he said.

In the near future, 4.66 crore people would receivebenefits of mega health programme Ayushman Bharat in Bengalafter BJP forms the next government, he claimed.

The TMC government earlier this month softened its standon implementing PM Kisan scheme in the state, after more thana year of opposition to the programme.

Nadda asserted that the massive farmers rally at Katwaproves that days of Mamata Banerjee government are numbered.

''The warmth you all have shown to welcome me shows you havedecided that Mamata Banerjee government is going to be shownthe door and BJP will form the govt in Bengal.

''Your happiness and confidence shows the public is ready towelcome us to form the government,'' Nadda said.

He also attacked the TMC on corruption and said theslogan of ''Maa Mati Manush'' and has turned into ''tolabaji(extortion), appeasement and dictatorship''.

''They have stooped to such a level in Bengal that peoplehave to pay cut money even for performance of last rites oftheir kins. This is the level of corruption they are doing inBengal at the moment,'' he said.

The Modi government was providing ration during the COVIDpandemic, but TMC workers transformed their homes into rationoffices.

''Such was the loot done by the ruling party here inBengal,'' he said.

This was Nadda's first visit to the state after the attackon his convoy during his journey to Diamond Harbour fromKolkata on December 10.

Election to the 294-member Bengal Assembly is due inApril-May.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)