Farmers Movement Archive

After repealing 3 farm laws, PM Narendra Modi in Bundelkhand slams opposition’s agriculture politics

LUCKNOW/JHANSI: Hours after he announced repeal of the three farm laws, which were at the epicentre of a raging farmers’ protest for a year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose parched Bundelkhand to tear into Opposition parties, accusing them of pushing farmers into a quandary to cement their very foundation. “Kisanon ko samasyaon mein uljhana hi kuch rajnaitik dalon ka aadhar raha hai. (Entangling farmers in unsurmountable problems forms the foundation of their politics)," Modi said, while addressing a gathering after inaugurating Rs 3200crore Arjun Sahayak, Bhawni and Ratauli and Majgaon irrigation projects from Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh. The projects would benefit not only Mahoba, but also Hamirpur and Lalitpur. PM’s remark marked his pointed counter-offensive at the Opposition, which sought to corner BJP for taking the decision vis-à-vis repealing farm laws in view of ensuing assembly elections in various states, including politically crucial Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. He slammed the Opposition for running a government of ‘parivarwadis’, who kept farmers in perpetual penury. “They make announcements in the name of farmers, but not a penny reaches them," he said, highlighting how Centre’s flagship PM Kisan Samman Nidhi managed to distribute Rs 1.62lakh crore to small and marginal farmers in the country. “Ye (opposition) samsyaon ki rajneeti karte hain aur hum samadhan ki rashtra neeti karte hain (Opposition does politics over problems, we do the politics of solutions)," he said, stressing that his government took steps to facilitate farmers on various fronts, including providing them quality seeds, helping them sell their produce in the open market, raising MSP of various crops, including pulses and initiating a national mission for making the country self-reliant in production of cooking oil. Modi squarely accused the Opposition of turning once fertile Bundelkhand into a parched region, triggering exodus of villagers. He said, people who ruled Delhi and UP for years did not spare a chance to impair the region. “Forests and other key resources of the region were handed over to the mafia,” he said. “In logon ne Bundelkhand se saath jaisa bartav kiya usey yahan ke log kabhi bhool nahi sakte. (People of Bundelkhand can never forgive or forget the apathetic attitude of former regimes),” he said, admonishing the previous government for swindling funds for their own “personal interest and for benefit of their families” while leaving the poor to struggle for a drop of water. “Everyone knows the truth. Only ‘commission and loot' prevailed in implementation of projects and schemes,” he said in an apparent reference to massive funds pumped into Bundelkhand, but without result. Modi categorically pointed out how false promises in the name of installing tubewells, hand pumps and constructing ponds and lakes were made without making people aware about the plunging ground water-table. “The government of ‘parivaarwadis' kept people of Bundelkhand thirsty, but the double-engine government of ‘karmyogis’ provided tap water supply to 30 lakh people in last two years,” he said, citing a host of initiatives taken by the BJP government for women and poor. The PM also cited the Arjun Sahayak project, which was left languishing for years. “It was only after 2014 that the Centre sought records of such projects. We discussed with then UP government about this project, but nothing happened," he said, terming the previous SP regime as “Gunehgaar of Bundelkhand” (Villain of Bundelkhand), which was not interested in completing irrigation projects. He asserted it was only after 2017, when BJP came to power in UP, that the project was fast-tracked. “Woh UP ko loot kar nahi thakte they...aur hum kaam karte karte nahi thakte hain (They were not tired of looting UP, we don’t tire working),” he said, adding the Centre and the state government were trying their best to resolve problems of Bundelkhand. Asserting that the laying of Bundelkhand expressway and UP Defence Industrial Corridor would open new vistas of employment for the youth, PM stressed the region also had vast potential for religious tourism to boost growth of the region and the state.

The Times of India

2021-11-20

Lucknow