Kisan Sabha plans big farmer outreach

New Delhi: In a massive farmer outreach programme scheduled ahead of the next general elections, the BJP will be sending teams of party workers in over 150 districts to directly note down their feedback and concerns.

The feedback will be submitted for proper redressal to Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh.

The move is being seen as an effort to strengthen party’s base in rural areas ahead of the next parliamentary elections in 2019.

Last week, while presenting the government’s last full-fledged Budget, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley announced several measures and schemes, including a promise to increase MSP and promoting agricultural exports.

Sharing the details of the proposed plan, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari told this newspaper that office-bearers of the Delhi BJP Kisan Morcha (farmer wing) will start visiting all 29 states and two Union Territories from next week and collect farmers’ feedback and expectations from the government.

The plan was discussed and finalised between Mr Singh and Mr Tiwari.

“I had word with the agriculture minister Mr Singh and it was decided that the office bearers of Delhi BJP Kisan Morcha will visit all the states, interact with farmers and collect their feedback and concerns. A detailed presentation will be made and shown to Mr Singh. To address the demands of the farmers, the presentation will be also shown to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah,” said Mr Tiwari.

As per the plan, one office bearer of Delhi BJP Kisan Morcha will be accompanied by two workers and form a team of three members. A team will visit at least five districts of a state and interact with the farmers.

In his Budget speech Mr Jaitley said that the focus of the government in the coming year would be agriculture and rural India and announced that all kharif crops would be paid a minimum support price (MSP), which is 50 per cent more than the cost of production.

“In the coming fiscal year, credit to agriculture would be raised to Rs 11 lakh crore from Rs 10 lakh crore,” he said.

Mr Jaitley announced that kisan credit card would be extended to fisheries and animal husbandry farmers while Rs 2,000 crore would be provided for development of the agri market.

The Delhi BJP Kisan Morcha workers will explain to the farmers about the existing government schemes and inform them about the new initiatives announced by the government in the Union Budget.

“The whole exercise is aimed to give voice to farmers residing in the far flung areas of the country. Their concern and feedback will be delivered to our visionary Prime Minister and party president Mr Shah,” said Mr Tiwari.