BJP MP from Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, Bodh Singh Bhagat, put his own government in the dock for supplying spurious seeds to farmers.
Bhagat filed a complaint before the BJP national general secretary in charge of Madhya Pradesh. His petition included statements from several farmers who lost their crops to fake seeds. He blamed the controversial Agriculture Minister Gaurishankar Bisen of protecting a private company.
Earlier, Bhagat had filed a complaint to the agriculture department; the paddy seeds he bought from Yashoda Hybrid Seeds private limited turned out to be fake, leading to wastage of crops in his 40-acre farm. The company has sold over 100 tonnes of seed in Balaghat district alone.
After the complaint, deputy director of agriculture department, Rajesh Tripathi, banned the company from selling seeds. Agriculture seed companies have to register with the state government to conduct business in MP. The government and cooperative department distribute seeds procured from registered companies.
Gaurishankar Bisen reportedly intervened on behalf of the Maharashtra-based seed company and quashed the deputy director's order. The company had appealed before a joint director that it was banned without being heard.
However, Bhagat did not take to this kindly and levelled allegations of corruption against minister Bisen. The two even had a verbal duel in full public glare; security personnel and party workers ensured that it did not escalate into a full-blown physical brawl.
Bisen and Bhagat both belong to Balaghat district in southern Madhya Pradesh, bordering Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
The matter was reported to the chief minister and state party unit chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan. However, the party advised Bhagat to maintain silence and sided with the minister. Meanwhile, the director of the state agriculture department, Mohanlal Meena, called for a report from the district authorities. He said, "all the documents have to be presented before any decision is taken".
Meanwhile, in the wake of farmers' agitation and rising anger due to fake seeds in other parts of state, Bhagat collected the statements of affected farmers and reported the matter to the party high command.
Earlier, there were complaints from 15 districts of Rajgarh, Guna, Sagar, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Indore, Ashoknagar, Rewa, Mandsaur, Hoshangabad, Ratlam, Satna, Neemuch, Shajapur, Ujjain and Dewas, that spurious seeds being supplied by companies registered with the government.
BJP MLA from Mahidpur in Ujjain had launched a campaign against such fake seed companies.
In all, around 50 lakh quintal of seeds is sold in the state every year. Out of that, 70 per cent is supplied by these private companies which are registered with the government. The total business done by these companies every season amount to over Rs 250 crore.
During the last two years, FIRs were registered against 28 companies supplying fake seeds, while licences of 85 were cancelled. 126 companies still face suspension after complaints were made against them.
However, Yashoda Seeds limited got its suspension revoked in just three days.
