New agriculture policy anti-farmer, anti-trader: SP

Lucknow, Aug 8 (UNI) Denouncing the Mayawati-led BSP government in Uttar Pradesh, principal opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) today termed the recently announced new agriculture policy as 'anti-farmer' and 'anti-trader'.

Interacting with newspersons here, SP chief whip in Lok Sabha Mohan Singh alleged the UP government did injustice with a large section of the society by announcing the new policy without getting it discussed in the state legislature.

Inveighing the BSP regime for neglecting farmers, Mr Singh said due to the new agriculture policy, the farmers' land would go in the hands of mammoth industrialists, following which they would be forced to work as agricultural labourers on their own land.

The MP said if traders and farmers protest against the policy, they would get full support of the party.

The SP leader accused the Mayawati government of playing in the hands of multinational companies and big indistrialits.

''UP government has got nothing to do with the common man and continuously neglecting their cause. Owing to mismanaged agriculture policies, farmers are committing suicide, while centrally sponsored policies are responsible for the foodgrain scarcity,'' he alleged.

He further claimed the state government was hatching a conspiracy to ''slit the throat of farmers'' by shutting down the Krishi Mandi Samitis, which were established by former Chief Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh in 1977.

UNI