Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday targeted the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal accusing it of blocking the central scheme for farmers, at a time his own government is facing massive protests by the peasants.
Addressing the farmers via video conference, Modi said, “While farmers in all states, run by various parties which subscribe to diverse ideologies, are benefited by the scheme, only West Bengal farmers are deprived of the benefits because the state government is blocking the scheme for political reasons.”In an apparent dig at the Opposition, the PM said, “More than 18,000 crore credited in the bank accounts of the farmers via technology. This is called good governance. There is no cut money.””PM Kisan Samman Nidhi has ensured there is no leakage in the money,” he added.Modi’s criticism of the Trinamool government is significant as West Bengal will jump into a high-octane election in 2021 summer.
Contrary to Modi’s claim, the West Bengal government in recent times had said it would allow the scheme if the Centre pays its entire fund as the state government has its own scheme for the peasants.In a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sept 9, Banerjee had written, “… the State Government in Bengal has already introduced way before the Krishak Bandhu scheme to provide financial assistance to farmers including sharecroppers.””… Moreover, the state government provides comprehensive crop insurance facilities to farmers where the entire insurance premium is borne by the state government and is completely free for the farmers.”
However, we will be happy to provide benefits to the farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme, and in that case, the Central Government may transfer the requisite fund direct to the State Government for further disbursement with full responsibility, to the beneficiaries, through the State Government machinery.” Hitting back at the PM, Trinamool MP Saugata Roy said, “What problem they have to give the money to the farmers through the State maintaining the federal structure? They want to give money direct to the farmers to gain mileage.”Besides the Trinamool, Modi also lashed out at the Left, which ruled West Bengal for 34 years, for not protesting against the Mamata Banerjee government’s blocking of the central scheme against farmers.
The Left had ruled West Bengal for 34 years and it has an organisation there. But the Left didn’t protest against the government when PM Kisan Samman Nidhi was blocked and farmers were deprived, but shifted to Punjab to share solidarity,” an angry PM said in strong words. “While the Left and Mamata Banerjee fight in West Bengal, they are hobnobbing in Punjab,” Modi added.Thousands of farmers are camped in Delhi-Haryana border or Singhu border since Nov 26 protesting against the three new farm laws, which are dubbed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government as a revolution in the agricultural sector.One of the Centre’s new farm laws will now allow farmers to sell their produce to institutional buyers beyond the regulated wholesale market.
Though the middlemen in the wholesale markets are often accused of usurping the farmers in the earlier agricultural system, the protesters, backed by several opposition parties, fear they will have little bargaining power while selling their produce to institutional buyers, running the risk of getting exploited with the gradual destabilising of the mundies. Though the government held several rounds of talks with the farmers’ representatives but gave no breakthrough as the protesters have cleared they would accept nothing short of the repeal of the laws.Slamming the Congress, Modi on Friday said, “They (Congress) were in power for years but they have not developed the agricultural sector of the country.”
The PM’s strong words came a day after a Congress delegation, led by Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi, called on President Ram Nath Kovind drawing his attention to the farmers’ issue.
