Land bill pushing farmers to suicide, says Pilot

Kolkata, May 20: Accusing the rendra Modi government of not even attempting to fulfill its promises, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday said the land acquisition bill was pushing farmers towards suicide. “This government has done nothing to help the farmers who have suffered due to crop damage across India. The minimum support prices for farmers have not been hiked, subsidies have been reduced and to top that, the land ordince is hanging on their head like a sword,” Pilot said here.  “Farmers are being pushed to suicide not because of economic vulnerability, but because of the long term agricultural stress and to top that the thought that their lands can be taken away without their consent,” said Pilot, the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president. Attacking the Modi government for reducing budgetary allocation to the tune of Rs.66,250 crore in the social security sector, Pilot said the prime minister did not even attempt to fulfill the promises made by him during the Lok Sabha election campaign.

“It’s time to look at the reality of the Modi government’s one year instead of the propaganda spread by his team. “In the social sector schemes, this government has made reduction to the tune of Rs.66,250 crore including schemes like ICDS, midday meal, health, education, cut in the budgetary allocations have been made in the entire social security sector,” he said. “Whenever there is a failure, the Modi regime blames the previous government. But when it comes to successes, it takes the credit. Be it the Chandrayaan, the mission to Mars or the railway line in Kashmir, the government doesn’t bat an eyelid while taking the entire credit. “Eight times fuel prices have been hiked in the last one year. Cooking gas, railway fair, service tax VAT, all have been hiked. This government has not even attempted to fulfill its promises.

“It’s very unfortute that the prime minister’s agenda is not public welfare but only settling political scores,” said Pilot. He also accused the Bharatiya Jata Party of compromising its core ideologies. “The BJP has a history of making compromises. During the polls it said, article 370 was non-negotiable but only for the sake of the chair of deputy chief minister in Kashmir, they compromised with their core ideology,” he said.  (IANS)