MP BJP ignoring ryots : Digvijay

Sheopur, MP, Dec 24 (UNI) All India Congress Committee General Secretary and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh today accused the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of neglecting farmers.

''The BJP makes tall promises to the peasants. Despite assurances, cultivators are not receiving adequate power and fertiliser. The Centre supplied this state more chemical fertiliser than demanded. Urea has been stocked in businessmen's godowns and is being sold at high prices,'' he said at a ryots' meeting here.

Alleging that farmers were being handed heavily-inflated power bills, he added that failure to pay was leading to handcuffing of peasants.

''Traders are ruling this state. Kerosene, foodgrain distribution and road-laying contracts are being manipulated by ministers. The Centre's National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is getting saffronised and funds are misused,'' said Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kantilal Bhuria.

The meeting was attended by about 8,000 people. In comparison, Guna's Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia's recent meetings at Aaron and Datia were attended by roughly 35,000 and 20,000 respectively.

Former minister Govind Singh announced that ex-minister K P Singh would address a cultivators' meeting at Shivpuri on February 11,next year, while former Home minister Mahendra Baudh would do likewise at Datia on February 26.

UNI XC-AC SI RK2245