BJD hits out at BJP-led Centre over farmers’ crop insurance delay

War of words broke out over Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Biju Janta Dal (BJD) in Odisha ahead of the Padampur by-election.
BJD accused BJP of doing politics over the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and claimed that the farmers’ insurance money was released only after pressure from the farmers and continuous follow-up by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra said, “Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met and submitted a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar over Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana instalment. The people of Odisha have seen the anti-farmer attitude of the BJP. Genuine Fasal Bima claims of Odisha farmers were not given for a long time.”
“Despite regular follow-up from Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and Odisha’s Cooperation Minister, the Centre was holding up the Fasal Bima instalments of the farmers”, alleged the BJD MP. “After pressure from farmers and continuous follow-up by Odisha CM, now the Centre released the Fasal Bima. The BJP has seen the wrath of the farmers after the Fasal Bima instalments were stopped in Odisha,” he added.