Agriculture backbone of economy, farmers its soul, says Shivraj

Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy, and farmers are its soul, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on June 16 in Bhopal.

“Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy and farmers are its soul. The farmer is the annadata [one who gives food], and in a way god itself. The service of agriculture and farmers is the worship of god, in itself,” said Mr. Chouhan, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister. He has returned to his home State for the first time after joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet in Delhi. 

He said Mr. Modi had entrusted five other MPs from the State with Ministerial responsibility at the Centre. “We have only one resolution: to work hard day and night.”

Apart from Mr. Chouhan, the other Union Ministers from Madhya Pradesh, Cabinet Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Ministers of State Savitri Thakur, and Durga Das Uikey have also arrived in Bhopal. 

The M.P. unit of the BJP organised a welcome event for all six Ministers from the State at the party headquarters here, including Cabinet Minister Virendra Kumar and MoS L. Murugan, who hails from Tamil Nadu but is a Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh.

The formal event was, however, cancelled after the death of former Union Minister and BJP parliamentary board member Satyanarayan Jatiya’s wife. Mr. Kumar and Mr. Murugan did not come for the event.

Chouhan’s roadshow

Earlier in the day, Mr. Chouhan also held a roadshow in Bhopal with his supporters greeting him at various locations, an indication that he remains relevant in State politics. 

Mr. Chouhan also said that at least 2.5 crore farmers from across the country will be part of Mr. Modi’s Kisan Sammelan (farmer’s conclave)scheduled for June 18 in the Prime Minister’s Lok Sabha constituency, Varanasi. 

“The Prime Minister will release ₹ 20,000 crore from the PM Kisan Samoan Nidhi into the accounts of more than 9 crore farmers from Kashi on June 18. All our Union Ministers, MPs, and Chief Ministers will take part in the programme at different locations such as in (gram) panchayats, at block level, krishi vigyan centres, in mandis. About 2.5 crore farmers will connect with the programme,” he said. 

He said that his department of Rural Development also has the task of building about 2 crore houses out of the total 3 crore approved in the first Cabinet meeting of the new BJP-led NDA government. 

After his appointment as the Agriculture Minister, Mr. Chouhan had to face the ire of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a coalition of various farmers unions, which accused him of being “responsible” for the killing of six farmers in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur in June 2017, when he was the State’s CM. The police opened fire after a protest by farmers for better crop prices turned violent.

Mr. Scindia has been allotted two portfolios: Communications and additional charge of Development of the North Eastern Region. He said that he is currently studying his new departments and preparing an agenda for the future. 

“Unless you have a full grasp over a subject, you should not comment on it. So, give me a week’s time,” he said.