BKS working for BJP, not for farmers: Gujarat AAP leader

Ahmedabad, July 5 (IANS) The Vice President of Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Gujarat unit, Sagar Rabari, on Tuesday lashed out at RSS-affiliate Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) for the plight of the farmers in the state.

He said, "Farmers of Gujarat are suffering due to the wrong policies of the government. Even after 70 years of Independence, the farmers in Gujarat do not get enough water for irrigation or adequate electricity. There is widespread corruption in the sale of subsidised fertilisers."

While addressing the media, he stated, "The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) has never been credible because it has given more importance to politics than the issues of the farmers and has worked to deceive the farmers. Today, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh is working not for the farmers, but for the BJP."

He added, "Now the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh has applied for reduction in power prices. If they want the welfare of the farmers, they can bring an immediate solution by talking to the BJP government. But instead they are working to deceive the farmers by giving false applications. Bharatiya Kisan Sangh has only used the farmers to help the BJP come to power."

Talking about the major issues of the farmers of Gujarat, Rabari said, "The main problem the farmers of Gujarat are facing at the moment is that electricity is used for agriculture all over Gujarat, for which three different types of prices have been fixed. Rs 650 horsepower/unit/annual, Rs 0.60/unit per meter, and Rs 0.80/unit per meter.

"If the farmer is using a motor of 100 horsepower then the annual bill will be 650x100, i.e., Rs 65,000, so the monthly electricity bill will be Rs 5,416. Does a farmer really earn that much?"