CPI-M asks Odisha govt to announce bonus on MSP for paddy

The Odisha CPI-M unit Tuesday took a a dig at both the BJP-led NDA government at the centre and the BJD government in the state for the debt woes of farmers and asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to announce bonus over the MSP on paddy for them.

The Left, Congress and other parties have been targeting the BJP-led government at the Centre over farm distress, which has snowballed into a major issue ahead of the Lok Sabha election next year.

Communist Party of India(Marxist) state secretary Ali Kishore Patnaik said in a statement that it is a "betrayal" by the Central government to raise the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of a quintal of paddy by only Rs 200 to Rs 1750.

We demand that the MSP of paddy be raised to Rs 3,000 per quintal, Patnaik said adding that the CPI(M) had decided to stage a dharna near Raj Bhavan here on January 5 to press for its demand.

The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government in Odisha, he said, cannot escape its responsibility by blaming the Centre on the MSP for paddy.

"Odisha chief minister should give bonus to farmers over the MSP as is being done by other states if the Odisha government is sympathetic towards farmers," he said.

Patnaik cited the instance of Kerala where the government has been giving Rs 500 as bonus per quintal of paddy.

The farmers in the southern state sell their paddy at Rs 2250 per quintal while the price is Rs 1750 in Odisha, he said.

Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Chhattishgarh and Telengana have also announced bonus over the MSP, he said, adding Odisha too should do the same instead of "shifting responsibility".

The CPI(M) also criticised the chief minister's visit to Surat, Gujarat and announcing development work in the state.

"The Odisha government has failed to check migration of people. Now it is holding meeting at the place (Surat) where the people have shifted in search of job. Is it not cheating?" Patnaik said.

The CPI(M) also blamed the BJD government for not being able to set up labour intensive industries though it has been in power for about 19 years.

Patnaik also sought the people's support to make the two day country-wide general strike from January 8 called by central trade unions against the "anti-worker policies of the Centre" a success.