India News | Vijayvargiya Challenges Mamata to Prove Farm Bills Harmful to Farmers

Kolkata, Sep 24 (PTI) BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Thursday challenged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to prove that two farm sector reform bills recently passed by Parliament would harm farmers.

The Trinamool Congress turned jittery after the passage of the bills as the party patronises middlemen who deprive crop growers of the minimum support price (MSP) and take away the profit, Vijayvargiya alleged.

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Banerjee, who is also the TMC supremo, has claimed that the bills would deprive farmers of the MSP and will lead to famine in the country.

"Following the passage of the bills, small and marginal farmers will now be able to sell their produce anywhere in the country and their income will rise, Vijayvargiya told a press conference at Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district.

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This has caused deep anxiety in the TMC leadership as societies backed by the party in various parts of the state directly take crops from farmers at very little price and loot crores of rupees at the expense of these poor men, he alleged.

"If the exploitation of farmers stops, Mamata Banerjee's party gets angry. It can only give lip service to farmers' cause," Vijayvargiya said.

The BJP leader alleged that the Centre's PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, under which every beneficiary gets Rs 6,000 directly in his or her bank account, could not be implemented in West Bengal due to the "arrogance" of Banerjee.

"Had the chief minister been concerned about farmers, she would not have insisted that the money should be routed through the state machinery. But this goes against the concept of the direct transfer benefit system," he said.

The TMC's claim that small and marginal farmers would lose their lands because of the farm sector reform bills is false, he said.

Rajya Sabha witnessed bedlam during the passage by voice vote of two farm sector related bills.

Eight opposition members, including two of the TMC, were suspended for "unruly behaviour" following the ruckus.

Most opposition parties boycotted Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha proceedings to protest the suspensions.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)