Chhattisgarh farmers call for shutdown

RAIPUR - Farmers in Chhattisgarh Thursday called a statewide shutdown Nov 25, accusing the state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of not living up to its pre-election promise of a bonus of Rs.270 per quintal of paddy it procured.

Sanjukat Kisan Morcha, an umbrella organisation of various farmers’ bodies, said it has called the strike to protest the neglect of farmer interests. This comes a day after the state government announced a Rs.50 per quintal bonus on paddy procurement.

The state government has been procuring paddy at 1,577 centres across the state from about one million farmers since Oct 12 at Rs.950 per quintal for common grade paddy and Rs.980 for grade-A quality paddy.

The government has now decided to pay Rs.1,050 per quintal for common grade and Rs.1,080 for Grade-A quality - with the extra Rs.100 to be paid shared 50-50 by the central and state governments. But farmers say the state government should pay a bonus of Rs.270 per quintal as promised by the BJP in the run up to assembly polls last year.

Farmers had laid siege to roads and national highways Nov 9 in the state on the issue.

The protest had turned violent and the farmers set on fire seven police vehicles in Dhamtari town, some 80 km from here, and also ransacked a few shops and damaged a private bus.

Sources in the BJP say the government will try hard to persuade farmer leaders to call off the strike as it fears that a shutdown may result in violent protests.