Pinarayi Vijayan blames BJP, Congress for not protecting interests of farmers

Kerala CM accuses BJP and Congress of neglecting farmers' interests, criticizes UPA and NDA for impacting rubber farmers.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress of not aiding the interests of farmers in the country.

The India-ASEAN free trade agreement initiated by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in its second term had impacted the prospects of rubber farmers. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government failed to resolve the anti-farmer provisions in the agreement after coming to power, he said at an election campaign meeting held at the Perumbavoor municipal stadium on Friday in support of C. Raveendranath, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate in the Chalakudy Lok Sabha constituency.

Mr. Vijayan alleged that the second UPA government did not implement the M.S. Swaminathan Commission report to solve the problems of farmers to help corporates. The Congress should explain why it failed to implement the recommendations of the commission, he said.

The Chief Minister said the Congress had failed to organise a nation-wide protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Congress leader Rahul Gandhi must explain why the party did not mention in its election manifesto that the CAA would not be implemented, if voted to power, he said.

He also said that the Members of Parliament of the United Democratic Front had failed to speak against the Centre when it denied the State its due share in various sectors.