Budget Session
Bhopal: The budget session of the assembly is set to commence from Monday. On the very first day of the session, the Kisan Congress plans to surround the assembly in Bhopal to protest against various issues and broken promises. During a press conference held to inform the public about this protest, senior Congress leader and former minister Sajjan Singh Verma stated that with the Bihar elections approaching, the BJP is introducing a new policy for free seeds, as it aims to secure victories in Bihar and other states. He mentioned that previous schemes, including Ladli Behna and those in Maharashtra, have been exposed.
Verma emphasized that the empowerment of farmers cannot be achieved merely through speeches by Prime Minister Modi and Mohan Yadav. He reiterated the long-standing demand for the government to set the wheat price at 3,000 rupees per quintal, in contrast to the BJP’s announcement of a purchase price of 2,600 rupees.
Purchase wheat at higher price
Verma questioned why the government is not purchasing wheat at the higher market price. He said that traders in Indore recently bought wheat for 3,000 to 3,100 rupees per quintal. He argued that the farmer’s demand for 3,000 rupees is justified, as many farmers are misled by fake traders who buy large quantities of wheat and then disappear. He asserted that the entire Congress party supports this demand.
As the budget session of the Madhya Pradesh assembly begins, it follows an investors’ meet held in Bhopal, where MoUs worth 4 lakh 20 thousand crore rupees were signed. Verma pointed out that during Shivraj Chouhan’s tenure, 7-8 such meets resulted in MoUs totaling approximately 13.5 lakh crore rupees, with less than 5% of them implemented. While he acknowledged the necessity of investor meetings for state progress, he criticized the practice of presenting inflated figures for applause.
Additionally, during the press conference at the Congress state office on Sunday, Verma highlighted that Baba Ramdev was allocated 50 acres of land five years ago with a promise to invest 500 crore rupees, but no investment has been made in Pithampur. He expressed concern that, despite this lack of action, officials have approached Ramdev’s associate, Balkrishna, to offer an additional 432 acres of land at the outset of the current investors’ summit.
