MIRZAPUR: Attacking opposition to woo agrarians Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “They are offenders of wasting public money by stalling projects launched in the interest of farmers.”

Those having learnt to shed crocodile tears for farmers should tell why their governments at centre and state turned a blind eye towards the mega irrigation projects like Bansagar Dam Major Canal and the issue of hiking minimum support price (MSP) for crops stalled for decades, said Modi.

PM was addressing a charged gathering at Chandaipur in city outskirts after inaugurating completed projects including Bansagar Dam Major canal on Sunday. He said, by stalling Bansagar project they not only deprived the farmers of east UP region of the benefits this canal but also caused a huge loss of public money said it had been started with a budget of Rs 300 crores in 1978 but delay in completing this project escalated its cost to Rs 3500 crores.

Targeting Congress president Rahul Gandhi he said, “After the beginning of this project by then PM Morarji Desai in 1978 his (Rahul) party was in power for two decades. The Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party also formed governments in UP four times each. However, none of them showed determination to complete this mega project, which could have changed the fate of about two lakh farmers of Mirzapur, Allahabad, Sonebhadra, Bhadohi and also Chandauli two decades back.”

“When you gave us an opportunity in 2014 my government started searching the stalled, derailed and forgotten projects including Bansagar, Saryu canal and central Ganga Sagar canal”, he said adding, after BJP led NDA came to power in UP in 2017 the pending works of Bansagar canal project were restarted and completed in a record time of 15 months. The Saryu and central Ganga Sagar canal projects will also be completed on the same line very soon, he added.

They were never intended to improve the condition of farmers and poor, said Modi adding, “Previous governments kept the files containing a recommendation for a steep hike in MSP for over a decade. Whenever their governments announced MSP no purchasing of the produce of farmers were done.” Modi said that BJP led NDA had promised to make a steep hike in MSP and fulfilled it.

