JAIPUR, Feb 24 (PTI): BJP president JP Nadda on Friday said big slogans used to be coined earlier in the name of farmers but if anyone has really worked to bring changes on the ground for them, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing a ‘Kisan Sangat Abhinandan Samaroh’ organised by the Sikh community in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh, he said what Sikh gurus and members of the community have done for the country can never be forgotten.
However, except for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), all other political parties have played politics with Sikhs, Nadda said and added that not only did the Modi government form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to put culprits of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots behind bars, but also helped families of victims of the violence.
He also highlighted that the BJP government at the Centre has strengthened farmers and the agriculture sector through various schemes and initiatives, including income support scheme Kisan Samman Nidhi and the soil health programme.
“How farmers of the country were deceived for a long time…For a long time, several people were engaged in establishing themselves as farmers’ leaders. Big slogans used to be coined in the name of farmers, but if anyone has really worked to bring changes on the ground for them, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I can say with this pride,” Nadda said.
He said farmers were cheated in the name of crop insurance in the past.
“The crop insurance scheme was there earlier too, but farmers used to get cheated in the name of it…. They were tricked. Today, more than 11.78 crore farmers are associated with the Kisan Samman Nidhi and of them, 77 lakh are from Rajasthan,” the BJP chief said.
They are getting a financial assistance of Rs 6,000 a year, and in 12 installments, Rs 2.25 lakh crore has been transferred into the bank accounts of farmers, he said and asked, “Who was worried about the honour of farmers in the past?”
“Had anyone ever thought that farmers would also get a pension? More and more farmers should join the Kisan Maandhan Yojana and get benefits. About 20 lakh farmers of the country have joined the scheme,” he said.
Nadda said earlier, nobody used to care about soil health and added that this work has also been done.
“In 2014, the general budget for agriculture was just around Rs 25,000 crore, but today the agriculture budget has increased almost four times to Rs 1.25 lakh crore under the Modi government. About Rs 93,000 crore has been allocated for the Pradhan Mantri Sinchai Yojana,” he said.
Farmers should not believe in old systems because new systems are coming up. It is the age of the computer, and an electronic market has been established to fetch better prices for crops, Nadda said.
The BJP chief added that arrangements are being made for farmers to sell their crop where they get a good price.
“It is our endeavour to work with a comprehensive system in mind for our farmer brothers and strengthen farmers,” Nadda said.
Recalling the contribution of Sikh Gurus and Sikhs to the country, Nadda said, “Our Sikh Gurus… our Sikh brothers have done a lot for the country.”
“Their work to secure the country cannot be forgotten, but I want to tell you that all political parties, except the BJP and Narendra Modi ji, have played politics with our Sikh brothers,” he said.
Today the work of teaching the holy Gurbani has been started by translating it into 15 languages including Oriya, Urdu, Marathi and Gujarati. The prime minister has urged UNESCO to translate the Gurbani into foreign languages as well so that the world can take inspiration from it, Nadda said.
“Who is such a leader who has worked so deeply for Sikh brothers? I can claim that only Prime Minister Modi has done this work. And, he has done it from the heart, without any politics,” the BJP president said.
Referring to the anti-Sikh riots, he said Prime Minister Modi formed an SIT and did the work of putting the culprits behind bars. Riot victims’ families were also helped by the Modi government, Nadda said and added that earlier governments could not get the perpetrators of the riots punished.
The BJP president also targeted the Congress government in Rajasthan, accusing it of duping farmers in the name of “loan waiver”.
Nadda said before elections in Rajasthan, promises of loan waiver for farmers were made by the Congress, but they are yet to be fulfilled. “Where did those promises go? Why did the Congress government cheat the farmers here?” he said.
“When the elections come, the people sitting in power in Rajasthan do magic that they will do this, they will do that, but they do nothing. So, give rest to these people and give the BJP an opportunity to serve (the state),” Nadda said.
The state is slated to go for assembly polls later this year.
BJP Rajasthan president Satish Poonia, deputy leader in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Rajendra Rathore, BJP in-charge of Rajasthan Vijaya Rahatkar were also present at the programme. Nadda had come to Hanumangarh for a family function.
