Nagpur, April 10 Senior Congress leader Arun Yadav on Friday criticized the BJP's rule in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly neglecting the plight of farmers and allowing mafias to operate freely.
The former Union minister was in Nagpur as a national observer for the Congress' 'Sanghatan Srijan Abhiyan'.
Addressing a press conference, the former MP Congress chief said, "Madhya Pradesh has become a state dominated by mafias. There is a land mafia, a liquor mafia, and an education mafia, all of which are thriving under the BJP's rule."
Despite Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who held the post of MP Chief Minister for the longest period, heading the Union Ministry of Agriculture, farmers have been ignored, Yadav claimed.
"The BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh and at the Centre have never cared for farmers. That is why farmers are protesting on the roads in Madhya Pradesh. Wheat procurement is not happening properly. In Madhya Pradesh, the minimum support price (MSP) was set at Rs 2700 per quintal. However, today, 80 per cent of farmers have sold their produce because the government has not started procurement," he said.
The procurement was expected to begin on Friday, but it has not started properly, he alleged.
Speaking about the upcoming assembly elections in five states, the results of which will be declared on May 4, Yadav said, "The Congress will certainly win in Kerala, and we are in a strong position in Assam. The BJP is trying various tactics in West Bengal, but they will not succeed."
Assembly elections are being held in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.