Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday announced a series of pre-poll “guarantees” for farmers, including waiver of farm loans, if his party was voted to power in Gujarat as he stepped up campaigning for the year-end Assembly election in the BJP-ruled State.
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On a two-day campaign in the Saurashtra region, Mr. Kejriwal said his party, if voted to power, would also create a mechanism to buy farm produce from farmers on Minimum Support Price (MSP) which would be higher than the market price of the produce.
Addressing a rally in Dwarka, the AAP leader promised to conduct a fresh land survey as farmers complained about irregularities with the one conducted recently by the BJP government.
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He also reiterated the assurance of best education and healthcare services, free electricity and other sops he had announced earlier.
On Friday, in a bid to woo farmers in politically important Saurashtra region which is a coastal agrarian belt, Mr. Kejriwal promised farm loan waiver up to ₹two lakh and higher MSP and minimum 12 hours of power supply for irrigation to the farmers.
“Though MSP is announced every year, farm produce is not sold at that price. It is my guarantee that our government will buy at MSP if farmers do not find any other buyer who is willing to buy their produce at MSP,” Mr. Kejriwal told farmers in the rally.
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According to him, in the beginning, five crops — wheat, paddy, cotton, chana and groundnut — will be covered under the ‘buy at MSP’ programme and then more commodities will be added to the list going forward.
On power supply to the farmers, he promised to give electricity during the day, that, too, for 12 hours to irrigate the fields.
The AAP leader said it was unfair to provide electricity to farmers for irrigation at night as was being done in Gujarat while Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and State BJP president C.R. Patil could have power supply for 24 hours.
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Compensation for crop loss
He also announced compensation for farmers for crop loss due to natural calamities such as drought or excess rainfall. On the lines of Delhi, Gujarat farmers would also get a compensation of ₹20,000 per acre in case of crop loss due to various calamities.
He added that within a year of forming the government, the AAP would provide Narmada water for irrigation in the entire command area of the Narmada project across the State.
Mr. Kejriwal also talked about the “rampant misuse of the state agencies” by the Centre to harass the political opponents while charging the Central government of using the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation to topple the Opposition governments in the States.
He also offered prayers at the historic Lord Krishna temple in Dwarka and said that the AAP had blessings of Lord Krishna and therefore it was not scared of any agency of the Centre.
On Saturday, Mr. Kejriwal will address a Town Hall event in Surendranagar. The Delhi Chief Minister has been visiting the State to spearhead the AAP’s campaign ahead of the Assembly poll.