TENKASI
India will be forced to import foodgrains if the free power being given to the farmers is withdrawn as recommended in the Electricity Amendment Bill 2022, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagiri has warned.
Speaking to reporters at Courtallam on Tuesday, he said people from all walks of life had been hit hard by the Narendra Modil-led government’s pro-rich economic policies even as the country was gearing up to celebrate its 75th Independence Day. While the crude oil prices in the international market had fallen to 60 USD a barrel, one litre of petrol was being sold at Rs. 103 which was only Rs. 70 in the Congress government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh even though the crude oil price in the international market was 108 USD per barrel.
Rubbing salt to the injury, the Modi-led government had slapped 5% GST on rice, milk, milk products and other essential commodities and the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister were not ready for any healthy debate in the Parliament on these issues. With the BJP government following anti-people policies in every front, the Indian farmers’ income would never get doubled.
He blamed the Union Government for the electricity tariff hike in Tamil Nadu and warned that any move to repeal the free power to farming sector would trigger famine in the country due to sharp fall in foodgrain production. India, which once imported wheat from the United States due to a gap between the agricultural production and demand, would be taken to those painful days owing to the anti-farmer policies being pursued by the BJP government.
“The Congress has decided to meet the people through a nationwide padayatra to tell them about the miserable failure of this government in all fronts and about the dreadful days in store,” said Mr. Alagiri, who had discussion with the party workers in Tirunelveli also in the evening on organising the padayatra.
