PRIME Minister Modi’s effigy was burnt on 3 February 2019 in Patna’s Jalla region for cheating farmers and making a mockery of their demands by not fulfilling his promise to farmers (loan waiver and MSP of 1 ½ times outlay) even in his final budget and promising them a meagre Rs 500 monthly income instead. This program was organised under the banners of the All India Kisan Mahasabha and the Jalla Kisan Sangharsh Samiti. The program began with a march from JP Golambar to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk where it culminated in a meeting. Apart from the above leaders, the meeting was addressed by Patna Nagar Nigam Kamgar Union Secretary Com. Arjun Jaiswal and Com. Raju Kewat.
Jalla farmers said that the BJP Kisan Morcha’s act of distributing sweets among farmers was tantamount to rubbing salt into the farmers’ wounds. They said that they had had to sell their vegetable produce at a huge loss (cabbage/cauliflower at Rs 1 per kilo, beetroot at Rs 2-3 per kilo, potatoes at Rs 150 per maund)Their huge losses amounting to thousands of rupees cannot be compensated by a dole of Rs 500 per month. Moreover, even this meagre Rs 500 is not for patta farmers or sharecroppers, whose numbers are very large. At the conclusion of the meeting, Com. Rajendra Patel appealed to farmers to join in large numbers the protest in front of the Bihar Assembly as well as across Bihar on 18 February against the anti-farmer policies of the Central and State governments.
