Where are acche din for farmers, asks Cong leader Vikhe Patil

Senior Maharashtra Congress leader and leader of opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil today said that so-called 'acche din' tom-tomed by the NDA government had failed to bring any solace to farmers.
He also hit out at the BJP-headed state government for not setting up fodder camps for cattle in drought-hit areas.
"Where are the acche din for farmers? Good days were during UPA...Now farmers are committing suicide...In Maharashtra the number of farmer suicides has increased by 40 per cent," he said, speaking to reporters here.
Congress' demand of loan waiver where the crop yield had been less than half of the normal for three consecutive years had not got any response from the government, he said.

"Instead of spending crores of rupees to publicise completion of one year, (the government should ensure that) the common man feels that "acche din" have come. The string of failures of NDA government at the Centre has continued with the BJP-led Maharashtra government," Vikhe-Patil said.
The state ministers and district guardian ministers had not undertaken a single tour of the drought-hit areas, he said, adding that there was a lack of coordination between the local administration and the state government because of which the people were suffering.

"Instead of providing relief to farmers affected by natural calamities, the Prime Minister says that people felt ashamed to be Indians before he took over. Isn't this an insult to the martyred soldiers? Does Modi mean to say that giving Bharat Ratna to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a mistake?" the Congress leader asked.

He also hit out at Congress's former ally NCP, alleging that it had a tacit understanding with BJP, as NCP holds the posts of legislative council chairman, deputy chairman as well as the leader of opposition. "This can't happen without BJP's support," he said.
Congress had demanded the post of deputy speaker which was still vacant, he added.