Daijiworld Media Network - Chamarajanagar (SP)

Chamarajanagar, Aug 17: Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers welfare, Shobha Karandlaje, said that those who are protesting in Delhi against the acts relating to agriculture are not farmers. Speaking after the 'Janasheervada' programme held here to create awareness about the central government's schemes, she claimed that the middlemen alone are protesting in Delhi, not farmers.

"Middlemen from Agricultural Produce Market Committee lobby are protesting. Those who got maximum profit out of APMCs are protesting, she charged. She also said that the protests in Karnataka against these acts too are politically motivated, adding that in Punjab and Haryana, those who got highest commissions in the past have been protesting.

"There is no leader who can match Narendra Modi in the country. He has the highest concern for the general public and the farmers. He set aside the highest grants for agriculture in the budget. The grant for agriculture rose from Rs 29,000 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 1,32,000 crore now," she stated.

Shobha said that agriculture forms six percent of the GDP of India and the agricultural contribution to the country's GDP has risen from 14 percent to 20 percent during the BJP tenure. She said that it has been decided to observe the year 2023 as the year of 'Siri Dhanya' and that nations have agreed to the proposal. She stated that the aim of the government is to double the incomes of the farmers.

Hitting back at H D Kumaraswamy who said that the BJP and Congress are moving towards extinction in Karnataka, she advised him to see for himself where he stands now. She also commented that the people rather than the BJP leaders will give a fitting reply to this comment.