Letter war continues for paddy price in Chhattisgarh

After Chief Minister Raman Singh, Congress President Bhupesh Baghel lobs a letter

Even as farmers wait for bonus on paddy, the letter war putting ball in either’s court continues between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Congress in Chhattisgarh.

Soon after taking over as the chief minister for the third term, Raman Singh’s first official dispatch was addressed to the Prime Minister Office. Singh urged the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh to fix the minimum support price of paddy at Rs 2100.

The BJP in its election manifesto had promised “to take initiative” to enhance paddy MSP to Rs 2100 and had included it in the election manifesto. The paddy had also announced a bonus of Rs 300 for a quintal of paddy that the government had purchased from the farmers.

“Is writing a letter to the Prime Minister is the initiative that the chief minister talked about with much fanfare to bestow Rs 2100 to the farmers for a quintal of paddy procured,” newly anointed Chhattisgarh Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel said. He has written a letter to Raman Singh in this connection.

The BJP has included it (Rs 2100 MSP for paddy) in its election manifesto than it has been upto the party-led state government to implement it, Baghel said, adding how the Prime Minister could be made accountable to implement the election manifesto of the BJP. He added that it was BJP who had vowed that it would provide Rs  2100 MSP to the farmers.

Baghel, who was given the command of state Congress after party’s debacle in the state polls, launched a scathing attack on the chief minister alleging that he was ignoring the farmers’ interest after winning the election. “The farmers in Chhattisgarh are feeling cheated,” he said.

The BJP had promised a bonus of Rs 270 in the 2008 election manifesto. But it did not pay till the election year, the Congress chief said.

The state government is due to pay Rs 3880 crore to the farmers that it should disburse immediately, he added.