Just saw this news coming from Karnataka and honestly,it feels like farmers are again caught in middle of a political slugfest.
R. Ashoka,who is Leader of Opposition from BJP,has made some very serious accusations against the Congress government there . He's saying government is not releasing money owed to farmers under the Central government's MSP scheme .
And amount is not small ah. According to him,over one lakh farmers are waiting for a total of ₹1,611 crore in payments . This statement was made on June 3,and the timing is what's making situation very tense .
Monsoon season is starting,and this is the time when farmers desperately need funds to prepare their fields and buy supplies for sowing . So holding back payments now is just terrible for them.
The breakdown of pending payments is also quite detailed. Ashoka said ₹370 crore is due for 34,543 farmers in Tumakuru,₹320 crore for 29,090 farmers in Hassan,₹179 crore for 16,659 in Mysuru,and so on for other districts like Chikkamagaluru and Mandya.
And tbh,this is where politics gets ugly. He pointed out how government can find money for public events and chartering flights to Delhi,but when it comes to farmers,suddenly the funds are not there .
Few things standing out clearly in this situation:
- ₹1,611 crore pending — payments owed to over one lakh farmers
- Monsoon season underway — farmers need funds to prepare for sowing
- Statewide protests threatened — BJP will mobilize if payments are delayed
Ashoka didn't hold back at all,he called it “bankrupt administration” . He said, "The reason is neither nature nor drought,but bankrupt administration of the Congress government," which is very strong statement. He claimed this delay is forcing farmers to take loans for basic things like seeds and fertilizers .
And then he also gave a warning . He said that historically,no government that mistreats farmers has survived for long time . He threatened that if the Karnataka government doesn't release pending ₹1,611 crore quickly,the BJP will start statewide protests with the farmers.
He even took a shot at outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah,accusing him of leaving the state in a financial mess while being busy trying to secure a good position for his son.
In all this back and forth,you just wonder about the actual farmers on ground . They did their work,they produced the crops,and now they are waiting for money that is rightfully theirs,while parties are busy scoring political points…
