With the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh increasing the purchasing price of sugarcane to ₹ 350 per quintal , Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said the BJP has "cheated" the sugarcane farmers in a “big way” as there has been only a marginal hike in the price under its rule while the input costs have gone up many times.
In a major decision barely months ahead of the upcoming 2022 Assembly elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced a ₹ 25 per quintal hike in the purchase prices of sugarcane in the state.
Reacting to the development,Ms. Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, "The BJP has cheated the sugarcane farmers of U. P. in a big way. After a marginal increase of ₹ 35 in four and a half years, it has been announced that only ₹ 350 per quintal will be given to sugarcane farmers despite the input cost having gone up many times." The
sugarcane farmers of U. P. do not want even a rupee less than ₹ 400 per quintal, the Congress general secretary said.
The decision of the Yogi Adityanath government also assumes significance as it came barely a day before the 'Bharat Bandh' called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha.
Addressing a meeting of farmers here organised by the BJP's Kisan Morcha, Mr. Adityanath said, "The government has decided that the variety of sugarcane for which ₹ 325 per quintal was paid to farmers, that price has been increased to ₹ 350, which will be paid to farmers."
