BJP demands separate union budget for farmers

"The Centre must have a 'Kisan' budget and it should call a special session of Parliament to discuss issues affecting farmers," state BJP president Prabhat Jha said here.

He called upon the Centre to organise a national level Kisan Mahapanchayat to hear problems of farmers on the spot.

An agriculture cabinet has been set up in the state and a similar step should be taken by the Central government, Jha said, adding that BJP will soon submit a memorandum in this regard to the Prime Minister.

Jha claimed Madhya Pradesh was the first state to provide 80 per cent subsidy to SC/ST and 70 per cent to OBC and general category farmers.

The UPA government had increased the rates of fertilisers thrice and hiked pesticides prices which pushed up the diesel and petrol rates, thus affecting the farmers and the common man, he said.

Jha said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be felicitated at Atal Kisan Mahapanchayat to be held here on July 15 and BJP president Nitin Gadkari, leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, former BJP chief Rajnath Singh and party general secretary Ananth Kumar will also grace the occasion.

To a query, he said the recent victory of BJP in the civic elections was the result of hard work put in by the party and the changing attitude of people, specially tribals, dalits and Muslims towards BJP.