Nadda breaks bread with Bengal farmers at community feast, slams Mamata for nelecting them

BJP president J P Nadda atethe humble khichdi seated on the floor with farmers as hereached out to peasants on Saturday in election-bound WestBengal, and excoriated the Mamata Banerjee government fordepriving them of the benefits of the PM Kisan Scheme to''satisfy her ego''.

On a day when farmer unions have called a 'chakka jam'against three contentious agricultural laws, Nadda reaffirmedthe BJP and the Narendra Modi government's commitment to thewelfare of the farming community.

Mocking Banerjee for agreeing to implement the PMKisan Samman Nidhi Yojana only after realising that her partyis fast losing ground among the farmers in the state, Naddavowed justice for them once the BJP is voted to power in WestBengal.

''What Mamatadi did to the farmers of Bengal bydepriving them of PM Kisan Scheme was an injustice. Due to herwhims and to satisfy her ego, Mamata Ji did not allow thescheme to be implemented. This has affected over 70 lakhfarmers who for the last two years have been deprived ofannual aid of Rs 6,000,'' he said.

Nadda was addressing a rally of farmers during thelast phase of the month-long 'Krishak Suraksha Abhiyan' and'Ek Mutthi Chawal' campaign which he had flagged off in orderto mobilise the farming community in the state in favour ofthe BJP.

The programmes were also a part of BJP's outreach tofarmers to blunt the opposition's charge that the ruling partyand the Modi government were ''anti-farmer'' following farmprotests at Delhi's border points.

Nadda said the prime minister recently inaugurated the100th Kisan Rail, an initiative that will help farmerstransport their produce anywhere in the country with greatease. Lauding the Modi government for its pro-farmer policies,the BJP leader said, it ensured that they got 1.5 times morethan the input cost for their produce.

''Today, when about 25 lakh farmers of Bengal sentapplications for securing the benefits of PM Kisan SammanNidhi scheme to the central government, Mamata Ji is sayingshe will implement it. Mamata ji, elections are round thecorner. Now, it's too late,'' he said, castigating the chiefminister.

Nadda said the state's people have made up their mindto bid ''namaste and tata'' to Banerjee and her party after theassembly polls.

Nadda taunted Banerjee for losing her cool afterhearing ''Jai Shri Ram'' slogans.

''When I was coming here I was greeted with 'Jai ShriRam' slogans. But I don't understand why Mamata ji gets angryafter hearing it. Had you served the farmers well, youwouldn't have lost your cool,'' he said, while referring to theJanuary 23 incident at Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata.

Banerjee had declined to speak at the event tocelebrate Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birth anniversary where''Jai Shri Ram'' slogans were raised in the presence of PrimeMinister Narendra Modi.

Nadda, state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh and other partyleaders later had a community feast where they ate a humblelunch of khichdi and vegetable curry while seated on floorwith farmers.

Amid chants of ''Jai Shri Ram'', Nadda also led a roadshow in Malda.

Standing atop a decorated lorry with Dilip Ghosh andothers, he showered jubilant supporters with marigold petalsand waved to enthusiastic crowds that gathered along the 1 kmstretch between Foara More and Guru Rabindranath Tagore'sstatue.

People watched the procession from rooftops andbalconies and were seen shooting videos with their mobilephones.

The streets were lined with BJP's flags and buntingsas the cavalcade inched its way through the narrow and crowdedstreets.