BJD to hold statewide farmers’ Rally in Bargarh against BJP Government’s “Anti-Farmer” policies
Bhubaneswar, Aug 8 (UNI) The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the principal Opposition party in Odisha, will organise a large-scale farmers’ rally in Bargarh on August 18 to protest what it calls the “anti-farmer” policies of the BJP government in the state.
Addressing a state-level meeting of the party’s Kisan Cell at the BJD headquarters today, senior leaders alleged that during the BJP’s 13 months in power, farmers’ interests have been consistently neglected, pushing them into severe hardship.
Farmer representatives from all districts, along with senior leaders, party MLAs, and district presidents, participated in the meeting.
BJD Kisan Cell Convener Prasanna Acharya, Vice-President Snehangini Chhuria, and senior leader Sanjay Dasburma claimed that agricultural challenges in the state have worsened over the past year.
They said the state government has failed to take meaningful steps to resolve farmers’ problems, resulting in the agricultural growth rate dropping from 7.8 percent in 2023–24 to 3.8 percent in
2024–25.
The leaders also alleged that despite the BJP’s “double engine, double development” slogan, central grants to Odisha have declined.
Acharya pointed out that central grants fell by 18.19 percent in 2024–25 compared to the previous year, including steep cuts in agriculture-specific funding.
For example, allocations under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana dropped from Rs.146 crore in 2023–24 to Rs.32 crore in 2024–25, while no funds at all were released under the
National Agriculture Development Scheme, which had provided Rs.223 crore in the previous year.
Acharya criticised the “complicated” registration requirements for Rabi crop procurement, which mandate consent letters from all family members of a landowner.
He alleged this was a deliberate tactic to exclude farmers from selling paddy, as the government seeks to avoid the financial burden of its promised Rs.800 per quintal input subsidy.
Chhuria accused the BJP of breaking its pre-election promise to purchase paddy without deductions.
She said that during Kharif procurement, the government’s use of grade analysers led to 10–15 kg deductions per quintal, turning the pledge of “broker-free, deduction-free” procurement into a “pipe dream.”
Dasburma alleged that during both Kharif and Rabi procurement seasons, many farmers who received tokens could not actually sell their paddy, and the ongoing registration process for Kharif procurement is flawed.
He also claimed that fertilisers meant to be distributed through PACS are currently unavailable.
The leaders announced that the August 18 rally in Bargarh will see participation from farmers across Odisha to “raise their voice against the anti-farmer policies” of the BJP government.
