Jammu, May 22: Castigating the BJP for “its anti-farmer policies,” former minister and senior National Conference leader Ajay Kumar Sadhotra today said that the agriculture sector is gripped with widespread distress due to insensitive and callous approach of the government during the past over nine years.
According to a press note, he was addressing farmers at Sarora in Marh this afternoon. Sadhotra referred to the dwindling irrigation facilities, availability of sub-standard seeds, shortage of fertilizers being the key bottlenecks in the farming sector and said these have accumulated the miseries of the farmers, who feel backstabbed and pushed to the wall by the double engine government.
He said irrigation continues to be major irritant and low flow of water in the canals due to token desilting has been depriving the farmers to yield dividends despite putting in hard toil in their fields. “The power cuts and disconnection of supplies to irrigation pumps has added to their problems with nobody even showing the inclination of addressing the issues. Same is true about erratic farm inputs that have been a major cause of poor crop,” NC leader said. He said the farming community is undergoing a worst phase of frustration and dejection, which has longterm consequences as the newer generation is getting demotivated to take up peasantry as an avocation. In fact, the farmers are giving up farming as it was no longer profitable due to wrong policies adopted by the government during the past several years, NC leader added.
Sadhotra blamed the BJP for reneging the promises made by the BJP to farmers, saying the assurance of doubling the crop income has proved to be a big hoax. While double the income is no more in sight, the inflation has certainly doubled under the BJP, which has a major impact on the farming community who farm majority of the population, he added.
The former minister said the insensitivity of the government towards farmers will prove disastrous in the years to come with farm produce taking a big hit and the peasants not feeling motivated to continue with peasantry. He said the National Conference will continue to highlight the sufferings of people, especially the farmers who are facing major brunt of the lackadaisical attitude of the double engine government.
