HYDERABAD: Accusing the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre of pursuing anti-farmer policies, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu has demanded implementation of the Swaminathan Committee’s recommendations and an increase in the minimum support price of paddy and other crops.Amidst a din of anti-Congress slogans raised by party workers, Naidu inaugurated a 24-hour-long dharna being organised by the BJP Kisan Morcha at Indira Park here on Thursday demanding immediate supply of seeds and redress of other grievances of farmers.Addressing the gathering, Naidu said that thousands of farmers could not begin cultivation in spite of favourable rains since the Congress regime did not supply seeds for paddy and cotton crops during the kharif season.The state and central governments had totally neglected the farmers in providing proper facilities, he alleged.Demanding a white paper on farmers issues, he urged the UPA government to increase the MSP of paddy to Rs 1,500 and of cotton to Rs 5,000 per quintal. He said the production cost of both paddy and cotton had increased considerably and the government should increase the MSP to help farmers and encourage them to remain engaged in agriculture.G Kishan Reddy, BJP state unit president, alleged that farmers in the state were in a fix mainly due to officials’ indifferent attitude and failure of the state government to prepare a comprehensive plan before the farming season began. Stating that the government had no commitment towards addressing farmers’ issues, Reddy alleged that falsified figures and statistics had been presented to avoid criticism. He demanded that the government supply seeds to farmers immediately.Expressing concern over shortage of cotton seed, Bandaru Dattatreya asked the government to supply adequate quantity of seed during kharif season.Traders were hoarding seed and selling them at Rs 2,000 per packet against the actual price of Rs 900, he alleged and urged the government to check the supply of spurious seeds.
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