Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha poll campaign in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar, the Congress posed several questions to him on Friday, asking why BJP has deprived tribal communities of their land rights?
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also asked why BJP government has not been able to tackle unemployment issues in Maharashtra.
In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh wrote, “Why has the BJP deprived tribal communities of their land rights? On average, 7 farmers are committing suicide every day in Maharashtra. What is the so-called double-engine government of BJP doing to stop this?”
Elaborating on the questions, the Congress leader said, “In 2006, the Congress passed the Revolutionary Forest Rights Act (FRA). This law gave tribal and other forest-dwelling communities the legal right to manage their forests and benefit economically from the produce derived from them. But the BJP government has been obstructing the implementation of the FRA, depriving lakhs of tribal of its benefits. Undoubtedly, the BJP government’s intention behind doing so is to hand over our forests to the Prime Minister’s corporate friends. Data shows how the BJP government is obstructing the implementation of the FRA, depriving lakhs of tribal of its benefits. In Maharashtra, only 52 per cent (2,06 claims) of the total 4,01,046 individual claims filed have been approved. The land distributed under it is only 23.5 per cent (11,769 sq km) of the 50,045 sq km eligible for ownership community rights. Why is the BJP government in Maharashtra snatching away the rights of the tribal communities of the state?”
“On average, seven farmers are forced to commit suicide every day in Maharashtra. This heart-breaking figure has come from the state’s relief and rehabilitation minister. He said that 2,366 farmers have committed suicide between January and October last year. He also said that the state government gives Rs 1 lakh to the families of farmers who die by suicide. But it is the government’s insensitivity that forces farmers to take such drastic steps, even if the Prime Minister wants to hide it. Last year, 60 percent of the districts were facing drought but there was no help from the government. When crops were destroyed due to unseasonal rains in more than half of the state, farmers were given the facility of loan waiver, but due to a glitch in the software, 6.56 lakh farmers were deprived of this relief – but loans worth Rs 11 lakh crore of the Prime Minister’s capitalist friends were waived. What vision does the BJP have for the betterment of the farmers of Maharashtra and India?” asked Ramesh.
On the other hand, Congress ‘Nyay Patra’ promises farmers MSP as per the recommendations of the ‘Swaminathan Commission’. Also, a promise has been made to set up a permanent loan commission for loan waivers. Settlement of all crop insurance claims within 30 days has been guaranteed, he further said.
Shedding light on unemployment figures, Jairam Ramesh accused PM Modi of failing to tackle the unemployment issues in Maharashtra.
“According to the National Crime Records Bureau, two youths in Maharashtra commit suicide every day due to unemployment. Experts blame the government’s mismanagement of the once-prosperous agricultural sector for the current employment crisis. To make matters worse, paper leaks have affected almost every competitive exam held under CM Eknath Shinde’s government. In the latest case, hundreds of PhD holders boycotted the Common Entrance Test (CET) after noticing that the exam question papers were not sealed properly. The exam was cancelled once earlier in late December when the question paper turned out to be similar to the 2019 SET exam, he said.
“The BJP and its allies have been completely irresponsible and have put the future of lakhs of students at risk. There are 2.5 lakh vacancies in the state. Why has the Prime Minister failed to create opportunities for the youth of Maharashtra? In its 2024 Nyay Patra, the Congress party has guaranteed freedom from paper leaks with new laws to prevent paper leaks. We have also introduced a new Apprenticeship Rights Act to guarantee 1 year of employment to every graduate below the age of 25. What is the BJP doing to ensure the prosperity and security of young India?,” the Congress leader asked.
PM Modi will hold a public meeting in Nandurbar district on May 10. During his Maharashtra visit today, the PM will campaign in support of BJP candidate and Member of Parliament Heena Gavit.
Gavit was fielded against Congress candidate Gowaal Padavi, who is the son of former state minister KC Padavi.
In the fourth phase, which is scheduled to be held on May 13, polling will be conducted in 11 Lok Sabha constituencies of Maharashtra including Nandurbhar, Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Maval, Pune, Shirur, Ahmednagar, Shirdi, and Beed. The results will be declared on June 4. (ANI)
