BJP demands Rs 5,000 cr relief package for rain-hit MP farmers

BJP today demanded an immediate central assistance of Rs 5,000 crore from the Centre as relief for rain and hailstorm-hit farmers of Madhya Pradesh.
The Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led state government has already announced an agitation and 'bandh' in the state on this issue on Thursday.
"We have demanded a Rs 5,000 crore assistance from the Centre but there has been no response. The estimated loss to farmers due to the recent spell of rains and hailstorm in the state is much more than this figure. Crops in about 10,000 villages of MP have been totally destroyed," state BJP chief Narendra Singh Tomar told reporters here.

He is also a Lok Sabha MP from Morena seat of the state.
He said as part of solidarity with the farmers, all BJP MPs and MLAs of the state have decided to donate their one month's salary to the CM's relief fund.
"We will go ahead with the dharna and bandh in the state if the Centre does not help us by tomorrow. The state chief minister has already placed his request for a relief package before the central government," Tomar said.

He said the specific assessment of the damage to crops is still being done.
Tomar said a delegation of BJP MPs and state ministers led by senior leader Sushma Swaraj will meet President Pranab Mukherjee with the same demand on March 6 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The party chief said MP government has already earmarked a sum of Rs 2,000 crore for the relief of the affected farmers but that was not enough.
On his part, Chouhan has alleged that despite a central team recommending Rs 370 crore package to the state for distribution as compensation towards the damage to soybean crop, the Centre has given just Rs 34 crore despite the fact that MP on its own distributed Rs 600 crore to the affected farmers.