Modi underlines support for farmers; says NDA aims to ensure their dignity

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday sought to underline the NDA government's commitment for the farmers to ensure their prosperity and dignity, saying it does not want small ryots to be dependent on anyone or ''feel suffocated due to middlemen.'' The conventional view of development only took into account the more vocal interest groups, ignoring small businessmen and small farmers, but the ''NDA government has given topmost priority to these two sections,'' he said at a BJP rally here.

Training his guns against the DMK-Congress combine, he alleged their meetings are like ''corruption hackathons'' where their leaders sit and 'brainstorm' on how to loot.

In a statement that comes amid the sustained protests by farmers outside Delhi for nearly four months opposing the new Central farm laws, he said the NDA also wanted to bring a paradigm shift in the agricultural sector.

''It has been our honour to work for the small farmers of India. In the past seven years our efforts for the small farmers are aimed at giving them a life of prosperity and dignity.'' ''From kisan credit cards to soil health cards, from eNAM (National Agriculture Market) to an effective crop insurance scheme we want to bring a paradigm shift in the agriculture sector,'' he said.

''We don't want our small farmer to be dependent on anyone or feel suffocated due to middlemen,'' Modi said.

While farmers had for many years demanded a rise in Minimum Support Price (MSP), ''it was our government which had the opportunity to bring a holistic MSP rise.'' In the last six years MSP for copra has nearly doubled, the PM said.

Hitting out at the opposition, he said while its style of politics was ''misgovernance with corruption'' that of NDA was ''governance with compassion.'' ''Both methods are very different. For the opposition what matters is personal gains. They want to capture power to fill their pockets,'' he alleged.

The only politics people will accept is politics of development and good governance and they want a government where fruits of progress reach the public, he said.

''They want the anti-development forces (to be kept) at a distance,'' he said.

Taking a swipe at the DMK-Congress combine in Tamil Nadu, Modi said their ''meetings are like corruption hackathons'' where ''their leaders sit and brainstorm on how to loot.'' ''Those who are given the most innovative ways are given posts and ministries. The opposition style of politics is based on bullying and harassing. Whenever DMK comes to power, they promote a strongman culture,'' he alleged.

In every district they have anti-social elements who trouble innocent people, he said in his criticism of the Dravidian party.

''The party cadres leave no chance to get extortion money.

You know who suffered most in such a culture. It is the women of Tamil Nadu. Entire Tamil Nadu knows how DMK treated Amma (the late) Jayalalithaa ji,'' he said, without elaborating.

This showed DMK's attitude towards women and ''sadly, leaders who troubled Jayalalithaa ji were rewarded by DMK and Congress,'' he said.

He said DMK has lost the right to be called an all-Tamil Nadu party, saying it last secured majority on its own 25 years ago.

''Both the Congress and DMK are suffering from internal contradictions. Both parties have tried to launch and relaunch their respective first families but they have not got success.

There is a continuous family drama there. Both are so busy in internal matters and they can't deliver good governance to Tamil Nadu,'' Modi said.

In contrast, the NDA family, of which the ruling AIADMK is a part, was united and its sole aim was to ensure the welfare of Tamil Nadu and its people.

''Can you ever forget the long power cuts during the DMK rule,'' he asked.

''The way the NDA government at the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government have worked is a classic example of cooperative federalism. We have worked together for the benefit of the people of Tamil Nadu. The work done has been extensive,'' the PM added.

Praising Tamil and its culture, he said the language was the oldest while he took pride in the culture of the state.

Across India, the government has decided to allow technical and medical education in local language which will benefit many youths, he said.

Modi also listed out the various efforts to boost the MSME and textile sectors in the country.

During his visit here, Modi met centenarian R Pappammal, an organic farmer who has been conferred the Padma Shri this year.

''In Coimbatore earlier today, met the remarkable R.

Pappammal Ji. Shes been conferred the Padma Shri for exceptional work in agriculture and organic farming,'' Modi said in an Instagram post.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)