Congress in Gujarat today warned of launching state-wide protests if the “pro-industrialist” BJP-led state government failed to address the demands of the farmers.
Former president of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Siddharth Patel and his supporters today held a sit-in protest outside the Vadodara District Collector office in Raopura area here in support of various demands of farmers.
“The Gujarat government headed by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has been adopting pro-industrialist policy, while farmers in the state are left to suffer,” Patel alleged.
He said the state government has not set the minimum support price (MSP) for tur, cotton, onions, potatoes and vegetables, which has worsened the farmers’ situation.
Farmers should be given sufficient power supply, he said adding, “The Gujarat government is charging high VAT on fertilisers, diesel and other farm products, which has turned farming into a costly affair. We will fight against these policies.”
The Congress submitted a memorandum of demands to the Vadodara district collector.
Meanwhile, at least 15 congress party workers were taken into custody when they tried to burn the effigies of Gujarat chief minister and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chouhan for police firing in Mandsaur in MP in which five farmers were killed.
“We will intensify the agitation if the Gujarat government failed to accept the demands of the farmers in the state,” Patel said.
According to data from ministry of home affairs in Delhi, 1483 farmers committed suicide in just three years between 2013 and 2015 in Gujarat, often billed as the ‘model’ state by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to the MHA, 582 farmers committed suicide in 2013, 600 in 2014 and 301 in 2015. The state ranked 9th among the states, where most farmers’ suicides were reported.
(With PTI inputs)