Gadkari demands adequate financial aid for farmers in MP

New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) BJP President Nitin Gadkaritoday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to "rise abovepartisan considerations" and give adequate financialassistance to Madhya Pradesh where farmers are suffering dueto crop failure caused by frost.

"It is highly unfortunate that the Centre chose toignore the demands officially placed by a chief minister andannounced a token relief through political emissaries toplacate state Congress party president for narrow politicalconsiderations," Gadkari said in a letter to Singh.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hasdemanded Rs 2,442 crore from the Centre to help the affectedfarmers. The state government has also demanded postponementof the bank loan recovery of public service undertaking banksand inclusion of farmer as a unit in the crop insurancescheme.

The state has claimed the total loss is to the tune ofRs 7,600 crore.

In his letter, Gadkari has appealed to the PrimeMinister to rise above partisan considerations and avoiddiscrimination against BJP ruled states.

"We take strong exception to such political gimmicks atthe level of the Prime Minister''s office. The BJP takesserious note of this unprecedented attitude of the centralgovernment which is against all norms of healthy centre-staterelations," Gadkari said.

He said Chouhan was "thoroughly disappointed at theCentral government''s total apathy" towards the plight offarmers in the state and threatened to go on a fast fromFebruary 13 to protest against the Central government''s denialof adequate financial support to the state to provide reliefto farmers.

"I seek your personal intervention in this seriousmatter and earnestly hope that the expectations of the peopleof Madhya Pradesh would be given a serious thought andadequate financial assistance released to the state governmentwithout any further delay," Gadkari said in his letter.