Naveen asks party leaders to stand by drought-hit farmers

Accusing opposition political parties of trying to extract mileage from the drought situation in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today asked the leaders of the ruling BJD to stand by the farmers.
"It is our moral responsibility to stand by the farmers who have been facing trouble due to the drought situation caused by the deficient rainfall in the state," Patnaik said in a letter to the ruling BJD's MLAs, MPs and district presidents.
Stating that the state government has already announced packages for the drought-hit farmers, Patnaik said the people in villages should be made aware about the announcement that the crop loans would not be collected for three years.

This apart, those farmers having not paid the previous crop loan would be provided with fresh loan for the rabi crop, Patnaik stated in the letter.
Patnaik, who is also the ruling BJD president, said that though the government has announced the drought packages in media, the party workers and leaders need to publicise them in their level. "We had stood solidly behind the farmers during droughts in 2010 and 2011," Patnaik said.
Denouncing the opposition campaign against the state government, Patnaik said: "Instead of helping the farmers the opposition parties are instigating them to agitate against the government. This is the time to face the challenge and save the existing crop."

"The opposition parties are giving colour to farmers death cases. They attribute all deaths of farmers as suicide due to crop failure and debt burden. We should desist from politics," Patnaik said in the letter.
Stating that his government believes in work and not in words, Patnaik asked his party leaders to come together and fight against the calamity as they have done successfully in the past.