Mayawati slams BJP over cane support price hike, calls move 'selfish'
BSP president and former UP CM Mayawati on Monday alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government increased cane support prices ahead of the assembly elections for “selfish” motives. "The UP BJP government kept ignoring the farmers here for four and a half years and did not increase the support price of sugarcane, which I had pointed out during a conference of the enlightened classes in Lucknow on September 7. Now they have remembered sugarcane farmers just before elections which only shows their selfishness," she said in a tweet in Hindi.
"The entire farmer society is sad and troubled by the anti-farmer policies of the Centre and the UP government, but increasing the support price of sugarcane now to save face before the elections is not the right solution to the basic problem of farming. In such a situation, farmers are not going to fall for any of their designs," Mayawati said.
Adityanath announced a hike of Rs 25 per quintal in the purchase prices of sugarcane in the state on Sunday, a day ahead of a Bharat Bandh called by farmer unions. Mayawati has already extended support to the protest call.
Earlier, she termed the cabinet expansion of the Yogi Adityanath government in the state an effort to mobilise voters on the basis of caste and warned the electorate against such designs.
On the state's cabinet expansion, the BSP president said, “Those who have been made ministers by the BJP to mobilise voters on the basis of caste in Uttar Pradesh should have declined it because, by the time they are able to understand their respective ministries and want to do something, the model code of conduct would come into effect here."
Meanwhile, Varun Gandhi welcomed Adityanath's decision but demanded a further hike of Rs. 50. He asked the state govt to either fulfil his hike demand or give a bonus of 50/quintal above the declared rate separately.
