Failure to provide MSP responsible for farmers' protest: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday blamed the Narendra Modi-led central government's failure to fulfil promise on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the ongoing farmers' protests in the country.

The Janata Dal-United (JD-U) President also warned that "there will be more crisis in the agriculture sector in the coming days, thanks to the apathy".

"Farmers are in a bad condition but the central government is indifferent to them. The government's failure to enforce MSP for farm produce has forced the farmers to protest. The country has been facing an agrarian crisis due to the low price of farm produce," Nitish told the media here.

The Bihar Chief Minister also said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government had in 2014 promised that it would implement the MSP with 50 per cent additional incentive for farmers. "What happened to that promise?"

He also said, "Loan waivers are not the only way to solve the farmers' problems as they have been facing different problems at different places".

"During his campaign in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Modi promised to farmers to provide MSP. But it is yet to be announced. Farmers are angry over it. BJP had promised many things to farmers and now forgot," he said.

Nitish Kumar also said the central government is yet to formulate a national policy for farmers in the country. "Farmers have been committing suicide because they are not getting adequate price for their produce".

The JD-U leader said "agrarian crisis is the main cause behind the reservation demand by the Marathas in Maaharashtra to Patidars in Gujarat".

--IANS

ik/pgh/vt