By Special Correspondent
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari on Thursday visited Ashta Mandi in Sehore district, where he met soyabean farmers and listened to their grievances. He said that the state’s farmers are reeling under severe financial distress — crops have failed, insurance companies have backed out, and the government has failed to provide any relief.
Criticising Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and the BJP government, Patwari remarked, “The Chief Minister and BJP leaders celebrated ‘Bhavantar Utsav’ across the state, but when soyabean crops haven’t been purchased, what exactly are they celebrating? Soyabean is selling at ₹3,500 per quintal, while the government talks of a ₹5,328 support price — this is nothing but a deception.”
Patwari noted that even in Sehore — the home district of former Chief Minister and current Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan — farmers are in deep crisis. “When crops have failed and insurance companies have refused to compensate, the government must immediately credit ₹20,000 per bigha into farmers’ accounts,” he said.
He added that heavy rains and floods have destroyed the remaining crops, demanding a special Cabinet meeting and a comprehensive relief package for affected farmers.
“This is not a political issue between Congress and BJP — it concerns the lives and dignity of farmers,” Patwari asserted, adding that rising input costs, falling prices of onions and garlic, and mounting debt have pushed farmers to the brink.
Several senior Congress leaders and local workers accompanied him during the visit.
