BJP’s Own Leaders Question Gujarat Govt’s ‘Historic’ Relief Package for Rain-Affected Farmers
New Delhi: The Gujarat government’s agricultural relief package, announced to assist farmers hit by unseasonal rains, has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum, with even the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP's) own ranks questioning its adequacy and fairness, the New Indian Express reported.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel's government had described the Rs 10,000-crore package as a lifeline for 42 lakh affected farmers after "unprecedented monsoon rains that have not occurred in Gujarat in the past two decades".
Unseasonal rainfall caused widespread agricultural damage across the state, affecting nearly 42 lakh hectares of farmland and impacting over 16,000 villages, according to Gujarat Samachar. Crops such as groundnut, soybean, and paddy suffered heavy losses, with standing crops washed away due to unexpected downpours and fields in parts of Saurashtra and central Gujarat remaining waterlogged.
Critics within the BJP and opposition parties have characterised the government aid as inadequate.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-aligned Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) has challenged the basis of the compensation plan, calling it detached from ground realities.
State general secretary R.K. Patel told the media that the relief calculation lacks transparency. "It is unclear on what basis this relief has been calculated. The amount announced is nothing compared to the actual losses suffered by farmers," Patel was quoted as saying in the report.
He noted that the farmers' actual investment per hectare ranges between Rs 18,000-28,000, far exceeding the relief provided.
Patel also criticised the uniform compensation structure, questioning how farmers with 25% crop loss could receive the same relief as those who lost their entire harvest. He warned that the Kisan Sangh would join farmers' protests if their grievances remain unaddressed, the New Indian Express reported. “If the government calls this a historic package, then what exactly has reached the farmer’s hand?” he asked.
Adding to the controversy, BJP leader Chetan Malani, former general secretary of Savarkundla taluka and director of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Amreli district, resigned from all party positions, calling the package “a cruel joke on farmers”.
His resignation letter accused the state government of showing "lavish indifference" toward cultivators devastated by monsoon damage, stating that the government's assistance "does not even touch the scale of farmers' losses," according to the newspaper.
Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda launched a sharp attack on the BJP government, alleging that it was "mocking the pain of farmers while claiming generosity”. Chavda claimed that farmers in the state carry average debts of Rs 56,000 each and warned that the Congress would join the street protests if farm debts are not waived.
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