Mumbai: Nana Patole, the Chief of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), accused the BJP government at the centre as well as in the state of being anti-poor and working against the interests of the common man on Tuesday.
Patole lists at BJP's 'wrongdoings'
"When the Congress government was in power, ration included wheat, rice, lentils, dalda, oil, and sugar, but in the BJP-led states, even grains aren't available in ration shops. The central government claims there are no poor people in the country. The Modi government provided Ujjwala gas to poor families and stopped the distribution of kerosene. According to the government, those who have a gas cylinder at home are not considered poor, and these people have been deprived of dal, oil, sugar, and rice available at ration stores. By discontinuing rationed grains, the BJP government has committed the sin of snatching food from the plates of the poor," Patole said as he participated in a foot march in Lakhani city in Bhandara district and a public meeting to mark the 10th day of the party's 'Jansamvad Yatra.'
While speaking at the public meeting, Patole added, "The Bharatiya Janata Party government is anti-farmer, anti-trader, and anti-poor. When a farmer grows pulses, there's no price for those, and when the same pulses reach Adani's warehouse, they become Rs 170 per kilo. Whenever you buy any item from the shop, you have to pay GST on it. The autocratic state government, resembling Hitler, disconnects the electricity line if farmers don't pay the bill. Farmers have not yet received subsidies for summer paddy. The rule says that the government has to pay within eight days, but the government hasn't settled the farmers' dues for three to four months now."
"What's the use if the farmers don't get the money when they need it most?" Patole asked and further stated that the cost of fertilizers has doubled, and the weight of the fertilizer bags has been reduced from 50 kilos to 45 kilos, causing inconvenience to farmers due to the requirement to link their bank accounts.
He also pointed out that since the BJP government came to power, there has been an increase in farmer suicides, housewives' suicides, and youth suicides, and in BJP-led states, dying has become the norm.