Bhopal, April 28: Jitu Patwari, the president of the Congress party’s Madhya Pradesh unit, has accused the state government of failing to fulfill promises made to farmers and addressing their issues. He announced a nationwide blockade, or “Mahachakka Jam,” scheduled for May 7.
During a farmers’ protest in Budhni, Patwari criticized the government for its injustices towards farmers. He pointed out that despite having the country’s Agriculture Minister from Madhya Pradesh, the state’s farmers face the most severe oppression and injustice.
Farmers in Madhya Pradesh are grappling with critical issues such as a shortage of fertilizers, disorganization in purchasing at support prices, a lack of gunny bags, discrepancies in slot booking, and land encroachments by land mafias. While the government celebrates a “Year of Farmer Welfare” in advertisements, the reality is that farmers are drowning in debt and struggling to receive fair prices for their produce.
Patwari highlighted that the Mohan Yadav government promised a minimum support price (MSP) of ₹2,700 for wheat, yet farmers are being offered only ₹1,800 to ₹2,200 per quintal. He described this as a robbery of the farmers’ hard-earned income. Furthermore, he criticized former Chief Minister and current Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who claims to have increased farmers’ incomes eightfold. Patwari argued that the plight of farmers in Chouhan’s own constituency, Budhni, contradicts these claims.
He warned that if the injustices faced by farmers do not cease immediately, the Congress party, alongside farmers, will conduct a massive blockade along the Agra-Bombay National Highway from the Maharashtra border to the Rajasthan border on May 7. This movement will span across several districts, including Sendhwa, Barwani, Khargone, Dhar, Dewas, Shajapur, Guna, Rajgarh, Shivpuri, Morena, and Gwalior.
Patwari emphasized that the farmers’ struggle transcends political parties or ideologies; it is about patriotism and respecting the nation’s food providers. The Congress party is committed to fighting for farmers’ rights from the streets to the parliament.
Leave a Comment