: Instead of taking stern action to recover black money stashed away by the rich, the Modi government has made common people suffer with the overnight invalidation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes as legal tender, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Wednesday.
Addressing a public meeting to mark the inauguration of a nation-wide rally organised by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) from Kanniyakumari, Mr. Vijayan said that the Modi government had extended concessions of over Rs. 5-lakh crore through various schemes, but had utterly failed to address the sufferings of the farmers.
Mr. Vijayan also accused the Union government of failing in its duty to safeguard the interests of the farmers by announcing remunerative prices for their produce. Instead, it was importing agriculture produce from foreign nations at a lower price, he alleged.
Mr. Vijayan also accused the Modi government of working to divide people on religious lines, instead of paying attention to solving the many issues that affect farmers.
P. Krishna Prasad, Finance Secretary of AIKS, All India Vice President K. Varadarajan, State President K. Balakrishnan, State Secretary P. Shanmugam, CPI (M) District Secretary N. Murugesan and others spoke. AIKS district secretary J. Simon Cylaz presided.
