Farmers throwing away onions due to good supply, says MP minister; draws Cong's ire

Indore, Dec 9 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Aidal Singh Kansana on Tuesday said farmers were throwing away onions due to their good supply, which kicked up a row with the Opposition Congress calling his statement an "insult" to farmers.

Kansana made the statement while talking to reporters in Khajuraho.

Responding to a query about farmers throwing away onions on the road for not getting a fair price for their produce, he said, "Look, onions are a horticulture issue. Still, as the Agriculture Minister, I am saying that the supply of onions has been good, so they are throwing them away...During the Congress rule, there were no onions. Farmers did not get water, so there were no onions." Countering the minister's statement, State Congress president Jitu Patwari told reporters in Indore, "This statement by Kansana is a betrayal of farmers. It is an insult to farmers. They are forced to throw away onions due to the government's wrong policies." The state Congress president said the alleged stubbornness and arrogance of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leaders will destroy the party and the farmers will teach them a lesson at the right time.

Calling the state cabinet meeting held on Tuesday in Khajuraho, a famous tourist destination, as a "wasteful government expenditure", Patwari asked what benefit the public is getting from such events.

"The state government has put every person in the state in debt of Rs 60,000. This government borrows Rs 165 crore every day," he alleged. PTI HWP MAS NP