Centre's 'lip service' to farmers ridiculed

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, FEB. 21. The AICC(I) general secretary in charge of Delhi affairs, Mr. Kamal Nath, today lashed out at the BJP-led Central Government for doing only ``lip service'' on swadeshi and at the same time allowing wholesale import of farm and agriculture products which would prove detrimental to the interests of the farming community. It would also destroy the basic economic structure of agriculture in the country, he said.

Addressing a mammoth meeting organised at the Mahavir Swami Park, Gandhi Nagar in East Delhi, Mr. Nath said farmers were the backbone of the nation and the BJP was bent upon breaking it. The import policy being followed by the NDA Government was nothing but ``disaster recipe'' for the farmers and other segments. If the purchasing power of the farmers is affected, it has a cascading affect as the consumption level would go down and the spending power decrease, having a negative impact on all sectors.

The meeting, organised by the East Delhi District Congress Committee(I) president, Mr. Arvinder Singh Lovely, also presented a cheques for Rs.2 lakhs for the victims of the Gujarat quake. The rally passed unanimously a resolution, brought by Mr. Lovely and Mr. Bhisham Sharma, MLA, in which the Centre was condemned for adopting anti-farmer policies and a pledge by Congress(I) workers to undergo any sacrifice to secure justice for farmers.

Mr. Nath said not only the farmers of the North were facing problems due to the Centre's faulty policies even farmers of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala had been forced to suicide, faced with the prospects of hunger and unemployment. Mr. Nath said the February 25, rally to be addressed by party president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, would be a historic event and provide a new direction to the farmers.

He warned that the party would take to streets if the Centre does not wake up after the party's rally.

The AICC(I) treasurer, Mr. Motilal Vora and AICC(I) general secretary, Mr. Oscar Fernandes, said the time had come to force the Centre to reverse its anti-farmer policies. He warned that farmers would teach the Centre a lesson if it did not change its disastrous ways.

Mr. Subhash Chopra, said the DPCC(I) had directed workers at the block and district levels to mobilise not only farmers but also small traders and labourers for the rally. Lashing out at the BJP leaders, he said there was lot of difference between what they said and did. The party was only working for the elite and money bags and had no concern for the poor. Senior leaders Mr. Sajjan Kumar, Mr. Jagdish Tytler and Leader of the Opposition in MCD, Mr. Ram Babu Sharma, also spoke.

The Media Committee Chairman, Mr. Mukesh Sharma, MLA, said a special action plan had been prepared for mobilising support for the Kisan Rally. A special control room had been set up in DPCC to coordinate efforts for making arrangements for February 25. Another public meeting would be held tomorrow at Gur Mandi, Rajpura village, G.T. Karnal Road in Sadar District.

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