UP govt's anti-farmer nature led to withdrawal of support:RLD

Lucknow, Jan 19 (UNI) The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) today said it had withdrawn its support from the three year old Samajwadi Party (SP)-led Uttar Pradesh government due to its anti-farmer nature.

Addressing a press conference here, RLD state unit president Ram Asrey Verma said party had always tried to fulfil its coalition 'dharma' but due to the anti-farmer nature of the state government, RLD ministers had tendered their resignation. ''The SP has betrayed the RLD's faith, he charged.

''The RLD took the step to register its protest over the 'marginal' hike in the State Advisory Price (SAP) of sugarcane announced by the CM in the recently-concluded monsoon session of the Assembly. While the RLD had demanded the SAP be Rs 200 per quintal, the government had only hiked it to Rs 122 per quintal,'' Mr Verma maintained.

RLD chief Ajit Singh had written several times to Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav about the problems of the farmers but the latter did not bother to reply even once, he added.

He alleged the state government has nothing to do with the grievances of the poor and is only busy with its 'vote bank politics'.

On January 9, RLD ministers Virendra Singh (Animal Husbandary) and Kokab Hamid (Tourism), both of the cabinet rank, and minister of state Swami Omvesh (Cane development) had tendered their resignation from the state government.

Irrigation and Flood Commission chairperson Anuradha Chaudhury, who is a Lok Sabha member and enjoys the rank of a cabinet minister, had also submitted her resignation.

UNI