Bhopal: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will participate and address a mega farmers convention in Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal on February 23.
This major political showdown in Bhopal will also mark the beginning of the Congress’s national movement against the proposed India-US trade deal.
Sharing details about the ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ to be held at Atal Path located in Jawahr Chowk area in the city, Madhya Pradesh Congress media in-charge and former minister Mukesh Nayak told IANS that more than one lakh farmers from across the state are expected to participate.
Nayak shared that the programme is scheduled to begin around 2 pm with the arrival of Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Bhopal. He also shared that two large domes have been set up at the venue, with a massive stage arrangement where nearly 250 leaders and office-bearers are expected to sit.
“Bhopal’s Kisan Mahapanchayat will be very crucial for the Congress workers in the state, and it will set the movement for a change in Madhya Pradesh. The people of Madhya Pradesh are fed up with the corruption and anarchy of the BJP for over 20 years,” Nayak said.
Congress MLA Umang Singhar, who is LoP in the state, said that the soybean farmers may face lower prices due to import pressures, while cotton farmers in the Malwa and Nimar regions could suffer losses.
Singhar said, “Kisan Mahapanchayat is being organised in support of farmers and to raise awareness about what the Congress has termed the “anti-farmer implications” of the trade deal.
As part of preparations, AICC general secretary and in-charge for Madhya Pradesh Congress, Harish Choudhary, on Monday held a discussion with local traders on the India-US trade deal.
During the discussion, Chaudhary claimed that the proposed trade deal allows the import of maize straw, while the previous 16 per cent tariff on soybean oil has been reduced to 0 per cent.
“This will pose a serious threat to all soybean-related industries. It will also have a profound impact on the cotton and textile industries, which are the largest employment-generating sectors in the country,” he added.
On the other hand, leaders from the ruling BJP, including Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, responded strongly, claiming that neither the Congress at the state nor the national level had done as much for farmers as the current government.
He said the BJP administration has undertaken more work in its tenure than Congress did in decades. He accused the Congress of misrepresenting facts and urged Rahul Gandhi to “apologise” for what he described as misleading statements about farmers.
(IANS)
