- 40 years of Congress rule had ruined the farmers and agriculture in the State
- Congress took away fertile and pastoral land from farmers paying dirt cheap price for those lands
- Central Government has shown its malicious intent by putting on hold the Kharif crop insurance scheme’s rightful claims of Gujarat farmers
- Chief minister Narendra Modi’s rule has doubled the agriculture electricity connections to farmers as against those 40 years rule of Congress
- Compared to Congress rule BJP government has offered cheaper and timely electricity supply to the farmers
- Congress is committing a crime by delaying the Narmada Yojana, critical project for meeting the drinking and irrigation water needs of the State
Agriculture Minister Babubhai Bokhiriya today took strong exception against the blatant lies spread by the Congress leadership against the BJP government of Gujarat. Enumerating various instances of atrocities unleashed by Congress Chief Ministers and governments of past on the Gujarat farmers he said that Congress government had even resorted to firing on the farmers which resulted into loss of lives of several innocent farmers. Farmers can never forget how pitiful conditions the Congress governments caused for the innocent farmers who raised voice against the government for poor state of farmers and farming.
Challenging the opposition Congress leader and the Congress spokespersons the agriculture minister said the farmers were living under miserable conditions during Congress rule. But the government of the Chief Minister Narendra Modi, since past 12 years, is taking care of even minutest issues that are in interests of farmers and farming.
He said, “The present state government has organized Vibrant Gujarat Global Agriculture Summit for the first time in the country and provided platform to the farmers all 543 districts of all the states of India. Thousands of progressive farmers have thronged the summit responding to the invitation of BJP government.”
Mr. Bokhiriya said the unprecedented volume of farmers and the trust they have put on the BJP government have spoiled the sleep of Congress. Farmers of Gujarat gave their mandate to the Chief Minister Narendra Modi and made him win for four continuous terms which has devastated Congress utterly in Gujarat. “Similarly, now by making the Vibrant Gujarat Global Agriculture Summit a success the farmers have given a signal that they will do the same to Congress across the country. Congress is toiling in vain to save itself from this disappointment”, he said.
Minister Mr. Bokhiriya one by one exposed the blatant lies spread by the Congress leadership to instigate farmers. He said that congress ruled central UPA government have delayed payments of monsoon (Kharif) crop insurance scheme of Gujarat farmers and trying to disgrace the state government by creating impediments in the payment of farmer’s money.
All the crop insurance scheme related details including premium subsidy details have already been sent to the concerned agriculture insurance company. Chief Minister Narendra Modi led government has already made provision of Rs. 963 crore in this year’s budget under as a duty of state to pay crop insurance for the farmers. But, without any discussion or consent of the state government, the Congress government at Centre had disposed of the case taking one-sided decision of by imposing area discrepancies factor. This decision was against farmer’s interest and thus it is not agreeable to state government. It is the duty of the Centre to reconsider this case and to see to it that crop insurance money is paid to the farmers with immediate effect. So many letters have been written by the agriculture minister in this regard but Centre has not taken it seriously, Mr. Bokhiriya said.
With challenging the blatant lie of the Opposition that the numbers of farmers are decreasing in Gujarat, Mr. Bokhiriya said that as per the Census 2011 of Government of India, the number of registered farmers in Gujarat has increased from 42,39,242 in year 2001 to 47,38,188 in 2010-11. He said, “Is the Opposition trying to prove Central government data wrong?” In reality, as per the numbers declared by the Central Government, 2,500 farmers are quitting farming and this is because of the anti-farmer policies of the Congress ruled Centre, the minister said.
Referring the famine periods of Gujarat and ills done by the then Congress rule, Mr. Bokhiriya said, “Congress is guilty of selling off state’s pastoral lands. The documented information is clear that from 1985 to 1990, Congress rule had given away 94% of pastoral land as against total uncultivated land. Of this, 32% of pastoral land belonged to farmers and reserved for animals belonging to Maldhari community, which was snatched away from them.” Congress has destroyed pastoral land in the state by giving it away for some other objectives, said the minister, adding that as against this Mr. Modi’s government has been able to increase the pastoral land by 6800 hectares during year 2001 to 2012.
Minister Mr. Bokhiriya said, “It was Congress governments who took away the fertile land from farmers in the name of industries. How come the sowing areas of 92.96 lakh hectares in year 1980 become 37 lakh hectares during Congress rule? In last 12 years, the sowing area has increased by 37 lakh in Gujarat.” Under chief minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for developing agriculture sector, farmers have put total faith in with schemes like Krushi Mahotsav and water management and it has made possible agriculture growth over 10% for last one decade.” State’s agriculture produce has increased from Rs 14,000 crore to 1,11,000 crore and it has duly been accepted by Planning Commission and received praise from well-known agriculture experts.
Furthermore the agriculture minister said that opposition leaders in Gujarat are misleading the farmers spreading lies and ignores to admit that it was Congress under whose tenure the dark-zone were imposed. He said, “BJP government has lifted such dark zones and thus the water management has become turning point. Water harvesting has increased ground water table by 13 meters and Narmada canal and Sujalam Sufalam scheme has taken the irrigation waters to interior farmlands.” This fact has been recognized by present Congress government at Centre. It will be surprising of the Opposition is unaware of Congress rule of decades that wasted water letting it go into sea and it is Mr. Modi’s government which has made good use of water by implementing comprehensive management system.
“If gates are put on Narmada dam, 75% of its water could be used for the irrigation purpose. But Prime Minister of Congress ruled government at Centre is delaying the permission despite being aware of this fact. It is being deliberately done so that the present BJP government in Gujarat is deprived of its success and subsequent credit. The delay in granting a technical permission for the gates at Narmada dam is done at the cost of farmer’s interest. The ongoing construction of canal work on a war footing basis in Saurashtra was stopped under the pretext of assembly election code of conduct despite the fact that work was undertaken by the state government because of the delayed monsoon”, said Mr. Bokhiriya. He said farmers are not going to forget these sins of Congress.
The agriculture minister said, “From year 1960-2000 the number of agriculture electricity connections given were 6.65 lakh. For last 12 years, this government has given 3,87,273 new connections for agriculture sector, which becomes almost two fold of those 40 years work.” Year 2011-12 saw granting of new connections of 70,000 while year 2012-13 witnessed approval of 97,459 connections and till July 2013, government has given another 23,000 new connections.
Mr. Bokhiriya said, “Farmers of Gujarat are not going to be carried away by the false propaganda of Congress trying to instigate them using power connection issues. Congress rule in the state had charged 58 paisa per unit of electricity supply and today Centre’s wrong power policies has made electricity cost touch Rs 4.41 but Gujarat is providing electricity to farmers at 49 paisa per unit.” Gujarat farmers know the truth and will never believe these lies of Congress, said Mr. Bokhiriya.
