Outgoing Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole said that it has repeatedly been proven that the BJP alliance government is anti-farmer and farmers have been insulted by being labelled as extremists, Naxalites, and agitators. Now, the state's Agriculture Minister, Manikrao Kokate, has crossed the line by calling farmers beggars, he said.
“His statement reflects his arrogance due to power. Farmers are not beggars; rather, it is the BJP alliance government who is a beggar as it exploits the common people through GST,” Patole asserted. Patole has been replaced by Harshvardhan Sapkal who will take over on February 18.
Criticising Kokate’s statement, Nana Patole said that farmers are the backbone of the world, and insulting them is nothing but a perverse mindset. “The BJP alliance government is anti-farmer and works solely for the wealthy. Offering crop insurance for one rupee is not a favour to farmers, and Kokate is not paying for it out of his own pocket. The government fails to provide fair prices for farm produce and does not grant loan waivers,” stated Patole.
According to him, during elections, the BJP alliance begged for votes by making extravagant promises to farmers. By imposing an 18 per cent GST on agricultural equipment needed for farming, the government essentially begs from farmers while shamelessly calling them beggars, he said.
“We recently exposed how the Agriculture ministry misuses funds under various schemes in the name of farmers. Corruption in the crop insurance scheme has also come to light.“
Patole further demanded that Kokate publicly apologize to farmers. He also stressed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar should remove Kokate from his position.
